uis
d'Aumenier himself, the attention of all being attracted to the
newcomer by the crash of the broken china and the low exclamation of
the young woman which none had made out clearly.

"By gad!" bellowed out with tremendous voice a stout old man, whose red
face and heavy body contrasted surprisingly with the pale face, the
lean, thin figure of the old Marquis, "I am damned if it isn't the
young Frenchman that held the chateau with us. Lad," he cried,
stepping forward and stretching out his hand, "I am glad to see you
alive. I asked after you, as soon as I came back to France, but they
told me you were dead."

"On the contrary, as you see, sir, I am very much alive, and at Sir
Gervaise Yeovil's service as always," said Marteau, meeting the
Englishman's hand with his own, touched by the other's hearty greeting,
whose genuineness no one could doubt. "And this gentleman?" he went
on, turning to a young replica of the older man, who had stepped to his
father's side.

"Is my son, Captain Frank Yeovil, of King George's Fifty-second Light
Infantry. By gad, I am glad to have him make your acquaintance. He is
going to marry the Marquis' niece here--your old friend--when they can
settle on a day. You had thoughts in that direction yourself, I
remember," he went on, in his bluff way, "but I suppose you have got
bravely over them by now," he laughed.

"I have resigned myself to the inevitable, monsieur," answered Marteau
with a calmness that he did not feel.

He did not dare to look at the Countess Laure as he spoke. He could
not have commanded himself if he had done so. His lips were compressed
and his face was paler than before. The girl saw it. She had watched
him, fascinated. The Englishman, young, frank, sunny-haired, gallant,
stepped up to him, shook him by his unwilling hand.

"I am glad to know you," he said. "I have heard how you saved my
betrothed's life and honor, and held the chateau. I have longed to
meet you, to thank you."

"And I you," said Marteau. "You English are frank. I shall be
likewise," he added. "It was not thus I wanted to meet you, monsieur,
not in a drawing-room, in this peaceful dress, but--on the field."

"I understand," said the Englishman, sobered a little by the other's
seriousness. "And if the war had continued perhaps we might have
settled the--er"--his eyes sought those of his fiancee, but she was not
looking at him--"our differences," he added, "in the old knightly wa