fice are everlastingly ordering senseless
alterations."

"Yes; but--I don't understand! If the pay is enough for your keep, why
do you need such a heap more to get along? Where does all the expense
come in?"

Guest knitted his brows in momentary embarrassment.

"Well, of course, there are certain things that a man must do to live up
to his position. He must entertain; he must hunt; he must play polo.
It comes cheaper to him than ordinary men, for he has the use of the
regimental stables; but still, things run up. It's astonishing how they
_do_ run up! There are a hundred things that are _expected_ of him, and
there's no getting away from them."

"Isn't he expected first thing of all to serve his country?"

"That is, of course!" Guest raised his head proudly. "I have already
explained that I _had_ served her."

"Wouldn't they let you go on then, because you couldn't cut a dash?"

"_Let_ me! There wasn't a man in the mess who didn't beg me to stay on!
The Duke sent for me, and argued for half an hour. He promised me a
staff appointment. He said some awfully decent things about my past
services. I was glad of that... I said, `It's no good, sir, I can't
face the prospect of being Colonel of the regiment, and not being able
to afford as much as my own subs.' We went over it again and again, and
he lost his temper at last and called me a fool, but I stuck to it--"

Cornelia drew a sharp breath of excitement.

"You _did_ resign--for money? In spite of all! For only that?"

"It's a very big `only,' Miss Briskett. You don't know how it feels to
have your income suddenly reduced by two-thirds."

"Oh, don't I just! I know how it feels to have it wiped clean away. I
guess my Poppar's dropped about as much in one slump as any man in the
States!" cried Cornelia, with the true American's pride in size, be it
for good or ill. She did not feel it necessary to state that the lost
fortune had been more than retrieved, for one of the very few points on
which she found herself in complete agreement with her aunt, was the
suppression of her own wealth. She had no wish to be judged from a
monetary standpoint, and Poppar's fame had not travelled across the
ocean. He was just an ordinary everyday millionaire, with a modest
little income of from three to four hundred a day; not a real, genuine
high-flyer, with a thousand an hour!

"I had to give up my frills and fixings, but I held on like grim death
to the thi