I suppose I do," I answered; "but not this one."

"I am in a great puzzle," he said. "And very sorry. Aren't you going
to be so good as to give me some clue to this mystery? Did you find
the hops so dull?"

And he looked very serious indeed.

"Oh no!" I said. "I liked them very much--I enjoyed them very much. I
am sorry to stay away."

"Then you will not stay away very long."

"Yes--I shall."

"Why?" he asked again, with a little sort of imperative curiosity
which was somehow very pleasant to me.

"I do not think it is right for me to go," I said. Then, seeing grave
astonishment and great mystification in his face, I added, "I am a
Christian, Mr. Thorold."

"A Christian!" he cried, with flashes of light and shadow crossing his
brow. "Is _that_ it?"

"That is it," I assented.

"But my dear Miss Randolph--you know we are friends?"

"Yes," I said, smiling, and glad that he had not forgotten it.

"Then we may talk about what we like. Christians go to hops."

I looked at him without answering.

"Don't you know they do?"

"I suppose they may--" I answered, slowly.

"But they _do_. There was our former colonel's wife--Mrs. Holt; she
was a regular church-goer, and a member of the church; she was always
at the hop, and her sister; they are both church members. Mrs.
Lambkin, General Lambkin's wife, she is another. Major Banks'
sisters--those pretty girls--they are always there; and it is the same
with visitors. Everybody comes; their being Christians does not make
any difference."

"Captain Thorold," said I--"I mean Mr. Thorold, don't you obey your
orders?"

"Yes--general," he said. And he laughed.

"So must I."

"You are not a soldier."

"Yes--I am."

"Have you got orders not to come to our hop?"

"I think I have. You will not understand me, but this is what I mean,
Mr. Thorold. I _am_ a soldier, of another sort from you; and I have
orders not to go anywhere that my Captain does not send me, or where I
cannot be serving Him."

"I wish you would show those orders to me."

I gave him the open page which I had been studying, that same chapter
of Colossians, and pointed out the words. He looked at them, and
turned over the page, and turned it back.

"I don't see the orders," he said.

I was silent. I had not expected he would.

"And I was going to say, I never saw any Christians that were
soldiers; but I have, one. And so you are another?" And he bent upon
me a look so curiously considering, t