nce nor you, George, and people said I was a fool for not taking
him; but I couldn't."

"That was a different thing," said George Lister hastily, "that Pollard
boy went wrong. Besides, we need not think about that now; Alice gave
him up, and very likely he will be killed."

On the night when Tom was alone in the trenches, Harry Briarfield made
his way to Mr. Lister's house, and it was not long before Alice and he
were left alone together. Harry had made up his mind to make his
proposal that night, and he had but little doubt as to the result.

"Look here, Alice," he said presently, "I want to say something to you,
something very particular. You must have seen for a long time how fond
I am of you, and perhaps you have wondered why I haven't spoken. I
wanted to badly enough, but I waited until father took me into
partnership. You see," he went on, "at the beginning of the war things
were going bad with us; there was a boom in the cotton trade about a
year ago, but when the war broke out there was a regular slump, and we
thought we were going to be ruined. Now, however, things are going
very well again. We have got some war contracts, and we are making
money."

Alice's heart beat wildly, although by an effort she appeared calm.

"I wonder you have not joined the Army, Harry," she said; "every day
there's a call for more men."

"Not if I know it," replied Harry. "At one time I did think of trying
for a commission, but that would have been foolish: you see I might not
have been able to have got it, and of course a man in my position could
not go as a Tommy."

"Why not?" asked Alice quickly. "I am told that lots of men of every
order join as privates."

"No, thank you," replied Harry, with a laugh. "I know one chap who did
that; Edgar Burton. Do you know him? He joined at the beginning of
the war, but he quickly got sick of it. He said the life was terrible;
he described to me how he had to wash up dishes, and scrub the floors
of his barracks, and how he had to be pals with a lot of chaps who
didn't know the decencies of life. Besides, think of me on a shilling
a day!"

"Still, if your country needs you?" suggested Alice.

"I am doing more important work at home," replied Harry; "they could
not do without me at the mill. It's all very well for boys like Tom
Pollard, who used to be so fond of you, but for people like me it's
different."

There was a silence for a few minutes, and then Harry went on