impson, "She's a straightaway
angel, and not for the likes of him! Major Hawke has a dark spot or two
in his record--away back!" grumbled Simpson, "No, Captain! Major Hawke
has never set eyes on her for a single moment, but the one night of that
dinner. By the way, it is the only one we ever gave!" The butler swelled
up proudly.

"That night she never lifted her eyes, nor spoke even a word to him. He
comes to see the Guv'nor on business, an' mighty private business it is.
They're locked up together often."

"And, this marrying? The stories are now told everywhere?" queried
Hardwicke, blushing, but desperately remembering that "all is fair in
love and war." He, an incipient Major, a V. C.--"pumping" an old private
soldier.

"Rank rot!" frankly said the butler, "They're all strangers. The French
countess is only sight-seeing here and buying out old Ram Lal's shop.
The old thief! She brought letters to the Guv'nor! That's all! He's no
special fancy to her, and he set Major Hawke on just to do the amiable.
The Guv'nor's far too old to beau the lady around. Marry?--not him! And
Miss Nadine's just as silent as a flower in one of them gold vases. All
she does is to look pretty and keep still, poor lamb. Her music, her
books, her flowers, her birds. And as to Major Hawke and this Madame
Louison--I've the Guv'nor's own orders they are never to see Miss
Nadine. That is, Hawke not at all, and the lady only when Miss Delande
is present! Them's my solid orders, and the old Guv'nor put my eye
out with a ten-pound note--the first I ever got from him. No, Captain!
You've done the handsome by me, and I give you the straight tip--wasn't
I in the old Eighth Hussars with your father when we charged the rebel
camp at Lucknow? I've got a tulwar yet that I cut out of the hand of a
'pandy' who was hacking away at Colonel Hardwicke."

"How did you get it, Simpson?" cried the young Captain.

"I got arm and all! Took it off with a right cut! You may know, Cap'n,
that we ground our sabers in those old days! No, sir! Miss Nadine's for
none of them people, and Hawke is only in the house for business. He's a
deep one--is that same Hawke," concluded Simpson, pocketing his note.

Captain Hardwicke began to see the light dawning. "Alan Hawke has then
some secret business scheme with the old money grubber that's all,"
mused the young engineer officer, happy at heart. "I'll fight a bit shy
of him. His scheme may take the girl in. So, old Johnstone's