forever sticking up for her."
How frequent they were, and how much they annoyed Mabel, he did not
realise until, in the last week of his leave, and in the midst of a
sticking up for her scene, Mabel surprisingly announced, "Well, anyway
I'm sick and tired of the girl, and I'm sick and tired of having you
always sticking up for her, and I'm going to get rid of her--to-morrow."

He said, "To-morrow? How can you? I don't say it's not the best thing to
do. She's pretty miserable, I should imagine, the way you're always
picking at her, but you can't rush her off like that, Mabel."

"Well, I'm going to. I'm going to pay her up and let her go."

"But, Mabel--what will her people think?"

"I'm sure I don't care what they think. If you're so concerned about the
precious girl, I'll tell her mother that I was going to make other
arrangements in any case and that as this was your last week we thought
we'd like to be alone together. Will that satisfy you?"

"I hope it will satisfy them. And I hope very much indeed that you won't
do it."

IX

But she did do it. On the following day Effie left. Sabre, pretending to
know nothing about it, went for a long walk all day. When he returned
Effie had gone. He said nothing. Her name was not again mentioned
between him and Mabel. It happened that the only reference to her sudden
departure in which he was concerned was with Twyning.

Setting out on his return to France--his orders were to join a Fusilier
battalion, reporting to 34th Division--he found Twyning on the platform
at Tidborough station buying a paper.

"Hullo, old man," said Twyning. "Just off? I say, old man, old Bright's
very upset about Effie getting the sack from your place like that. How
was it?"

He felt himself flush. Beastly, having to defend Mabel's unfairness like
this. "Oh, I fancy my wife had the idea of getting some relation to live
with her, that's all."

Twyning was looking keenly at him. "Oh, I see. But a bit sudden, wasn't
it? I mean to say, I thought you were on such friendly terms with the
girl. Why, only a couple of days before she left I saw you with her
having tea in the Cloister tea rooms. I don't think you saw me, did you,
old man?"

"No, I didn't. Yes, I remember; we were waiting for my wife. There'd
been a dress rehearsal of this play down at the Corn Exchange."

"Oh, yes, waiting for your wife, were you?" Twyning appeared to be
thinking. "Well, that's what I mean, old man. So friendly with