't say how terrified she was of the
servants--all except old Robert, who looked at her sometimes with his
kindly, tired eyes as if he understood. She didn't even take the
opportunity of voicing the wish that was dearest to her heart; to give
it all up and go right away. She just coaxed him back to
self-confidence, and, in the morning, Sir John was Sir John once
more--as insufferable as ever. And only a tired old woman knew quite
how tired she felt. . ..

One of Sir John's pet weaknesses was having his wife and the staff
photographed. Sometimes he appeared in the group himself, but on the
whole he preferred impromptu snap-shots of himself chatting with
wounded officers in the grounds. For these posed photographs Lady
Patterdale arrayed herself in a light grey costume, with large red
crosses scattered over it: and as Vane was strolling out into the
gardens after lunch, he ran into her in this disguise in the hall.

"We're 'aving a little group taken, Captain Vane," she said as she
passed him. "You must come and be in it."

"Why, certainly, Lady Patterdale; I shall be only too delighted. Is
that the reason of the war paint?"

She laughed--a jolly, unaffected laugh. "My 'usband always likes me to
wear this when we're took. Thinks it looks better in a 'ospital."

As Vane stepped through the door with her he caught a fleeting glimpse
of officers disappearing rapidly in all directions. Confronting them
was a large camera, and some servants were arranging chairs under the
direction of the photographer. Evidently the symptoms were well known,
and Vane realised that he had been had.

This proved to be one of the occasions on which Sir John did not
appear, and so the deed did not take quite as long as usual. To the
staff it was just a matter of drill, and they arranged themselves at
once. And since they were what really mattered, and the half-dozen
patients merely appeared in the nature of a make weight, in a very
short time, to everyone's profound relief, the group had been
taken. . . . Vane, who had been sitting on the ground, with his legs
tucked under him to keep them in focus, silently suffering an acute
attack of cramp, rose and stretched himself. On the lawn, tennis had
started again; and she could see various officers dotted about the
ground in basket chairs. He was turning away, with the idea of a
stroll--possibly even of seeking out old John in the village, when from
just behind his shoulder came