ll that sprang up apace
between himself and his companions.

[12] Thorough.

Among them all Desmond and Wyndham represented, in the highest degree,
those unattainable attributes which Kresney was secretly disposed to
envy; and his narrow soul solaced itself by heartily detesting their
possessors. This ability to recognise the highest without the least
desire to reach it, breeds more than half the pangs of envy, hatred,
and malice that corrode the lesser natures of earth. But there were
also, in Kresney's case, personal and particular reasons which served
to nourish these microbes of the soul.

Toward the close of the hot weather the man's growing unpopularity had
been established by an incident at Mess, which brought him into such
sharp contact with Desmond as he was not likely to forget.

There had been a very small party at dinner. Several of the older men
were absent on leave, and three were on the sick list, no uncommon
occurrence in Frontier stations. Thus it had chanced that Desmond was
the senior officer present.

The wine had already been round twice when the sound of a lady's name,
spoken in passing, had diverted Kresney's attention from his own
dissatisfied thoughts.

It chanced that he had met this same lady at Murree a year ago, and
that she had roundly snubbed his advances towards intimacy. The
unexpected mention of her name revived that sense of injury which
smoulders in such natures like a live coal; and on the same instant
awoke the desire to hit back with the readiest weapon available.

Forgetful of the restriction imposed by the rigid code of the
mess-table, he launched the first disparaging comment that sprang to
his mind.

Directly the sentence was out, he could have bitten his own tongue for
pure vexation.

It fell crisp and clear into a chasm of silence, as a dropped pebble
plashes into a well.

The stillness lasted nearly a minute, and while it lasted Kresney felt
the fire of Desmond's glance through his lowered lids. Then some one
hazarded a remark, and the incident was submerged in a renewed tide of
talk.

When dinner broke up, with a general movement towards the ante-room,
Kresney became aware that Desmond was at his side.

"You will be good enough to come into the verandah with me," he had
said in a tone of command; and Kresney, feeling ignominiously like a
chidden schoolboy, had had no choice but to obey.

Before that brief interview was ended, the man had heard the truth
a