Winkles, though. He's a
lieutenant now, by the way--got his commission just lately."

"But--I thought he was killed?"

"Not a bit of it! I heard from him yesterday."

"He was in the Roll of Honour," urged Marjorie, still unable to believe.

"No, he wasn't. That was his brother Henry, who was in the same
regiment--a nice chap, though nothing to Winkles."

Marjorie sat in a state of almost dazed incomprehension. A black cloud
seemed suddenly to have rolled away from her, and she had not yet had
time to readjust herself. As in a dream she listened to Dona's
explanation.

"He was in the Red Cross Hospital here, and we saw him when Elaine took
us to the Christmas tree."

"Was it Whitecliffe? I knew he'd been in a Red Cross Hospital, but never
heard which one," commented Leonard.

"He was going on to a convalescent home," continued Dona.

"He came back to the front before he was really fit," said Leonard.
"The poor chap had had influenza, but he was so afraid of being thought
a shirker that he made a push to go. He was laid up with a touch of
pneumonia, I remember, a week after he rejoined."

"Will he get leave again?" faltered Marjorie.

"Yes, next month, he hopes. They don't live such a very long way from
Silverwood, and he said he'd try to go over and see the Mater. She'd
give him a welcome, I know."

"Rather!" agreed the girls.

"We shall be at home in August," added Dona.

Marjorie, however, said nothing. There are some joys that it is quite
impossible to express to outsiders.

"I'm glad they've made him a lieutenant," she said to herself.

CHAPTER XXIV

The Royal George

When Leonard brought Marjorie and Dona back to The Tamarisks there was
still one more golden half-hour before they need return to school. Aunt
Ellinor proposed tennis, and suggested that her nephew should play his
sisters while she sat and acted umpire. The game went fairly evenly, for
Leonard was agile and equal to holding his own, though it was one
against two. They were at "forty all" when Dona made a rather brilliant
stroke. Leonard sprang across the court in a frantic effort to get the
ball, missed it, slipped on the grass, and fell. The girls laughed.

"You've been a little too clever for once," called Dona. "That's our
game!"

"Get up, you old slacker!" said Marjorie.

But Leonard did not get up. He stayed where he was on the lawn, looking
very white. Mrs. Trafford ran to him in alarm.

"What's the matter?" s