ebrows.

Then: "That's not _you_, Frankie!" said the Major with a start of
recognition towards the Staff lieutenant.

"Yes, sir," said Molder.

They shook hands. At the previous Christmas they had lain out together
on the cliffs of the east coast in wild weather, waiting to repel a
phantom army of thirty thousand Germans.

"It was the red hat put me off," the Major explained.

"Not my fault, sir," Molder smiled.

"Devilish glad to see you, my boy."

G.J. murmured to Molder:

"You don't want to go and have tea with her, do you?"

And Molder answered, with the somewhat fatuous, self-conscious
grin that no amount of intelligence can keep out of the face of a
good-looking fellow who knows that he has made an impression:

"Well, I don't know--"

G.J. raised his eyebrows again, but with indulgence, and winked at
Craive.

The Major shut his lips tight, then stood with his mouth open for a
second or two in the attitude of a man suddenly receiving the onset of
a great and original idea.

"She's right, hang it all!" he exclaimed. "She's right! Of course she
is! Why, what's all this"--he waved an arm at the whole scene--"what's
all this but sex? Look at 'em! And look at their portraits! You aren't
going to tell me! What's the good of pretending? Hang it all, when my
own aunt comes down to breakfast in a low-cut blouse that would have
given her fits even in the evening ten years ago!... And jolly fine
too. I'm all for it. The more of it the merrier--that's what I say.
And don't any of you high-brows go trying to alter it. If you do I
retire, and you can defend your own bally Front."

"Craive," said G.J. affectionately, "until you and Queen came along
Molder and I really thought we were at a picture exhibition, and we
still think so, don't we, Molder?" The Lieutenant nodded. "Now, as
you're here, just let me show you one or two things."

"Oh!" breathed the Major, "have pity. It's not any canvas woman that
I want--By Jove!" He caught sight of an invention of Felicien Rops, a
pig on the end of a string, leading, or being driven by, a woman who
wore nothing but stockings, boots and a hat. "What do you call that?"

"My dear fellow, that's one of the most famous etchings in the world."

"Is it?" the Major said. "Well, I'm not surprised. There's more in
this business than I imagined." He set himself to examine all the
exhibits by Rops, and when he had finished he turned to G.J.

"Listen here, G.J. We're going to mak