ut that."

But Evelyn persisted with the courage of despair.

"Then you mustn't find it impossible, ... that's all! There has been
nothing but giving up ever since we came from Murree. I'm sick of it;
and I won't give up Christmas week, too. It's quite hard enough for me
as it is, being stranded in the most hopeless part of India because of
you, without your grudging my few little pleasures as well." And
sinking into a chair, she hid her face in her hands.

The victory is more often to the unscrupulous than to the strong. His
wife's injustice cut Desmond to the quick. Impulsive renunciation
sprang to his lips; and was only checked by the remembrance that he
had given Honor his word.

"Evelyn--Evelyn," he pleaded with sudden vehemence, "for Heaven's sake
have a little consideration for facts--if you have none for me. I
grudge you nothing--I have never done so--and you know it. But--if you
really find Frontier life intolerable, I can only give you free leave
to go home, directly I scrape together the money for your passage."

"Go home----?" she echoed in blank bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

"What I say."

"But--wouldn't you come too?"

"No. I have no leave due now; and if I had, I couldn't afford to take
it."

"You want me to go?" she flashed out in a tremor of apprehension. "I'm
only a hindrance to you here. That's the real truth, I suppose?"

"I never said that, and I have given you no grounds for thinking it."

"But do you, Theo--_do_ you?"

Her eyes searched his face for confirmation of her suspicion, and
found none.

"What I want or don't want is beside the mark," he said. "I naturally
wish to see you happy; and as that evidently can't be managed here, I
am willing to let you go and be happy elsewhere."

Her eyes fell and her answer came almost in a whisper.

"But I couldn't be happy anywhere else--without you."

"Is that the truth?"

"Yes."

"You'd prefer to stay here--with me?"

"Yes."

He laid his hand for an instant on her bent head.

"Stay then, Ladybird, by all means. Only, for pity's sake, spare me
any more of the sort of things you said just now."

"And you won't stop me from going to Lahore, Theo?--Promise."

A swift change of expression crossed his face.

"I can't promise that. I'll do my best not to disappoint you, but I
must get all these cleared off before I think of anything else."

"How _can_ you manage to clear them off--now?"

"Why trouble your head about side is