and which keeps out of the Army a lad like Jervis
Blake! He'd make a splendid company officer --
conscientious, honest, unselfish, keen about his work, and
brave -- well, brave as only a man----"

And one of those to whom he said it, seeing him
hesitate, had broken in, with a slight smile, "Brave
as only a man totally lacking in imagination can be,
eh, Robey?"

"No, no, I won't have you say that! Even an
idiot has enough imagination to be afraid of danger!
There's something fine about poor Jervis."

They'd gradually all got to call young Blake "Jervis"
in that household. Perhaps Mrs. Robey alone
of them all knew how much they would miss him.
He was such a thoroughly good fellow, he was so
useful to her husband in keeping order among the
wilder spirits, and that without having about him a
touch of the prig!

Rose looked up and smiled as the tall young man
came forward and shook hands with her, saying as
he did so, "I hope I'm not too early? The truth is,
I've a good many calls to pay this afternoon. I've
come to say good-bye."

"I'm sorry. I thought you weren't going away till
Saturday." Rose really did feel sorry -- in fact, she
was herself surprised at her rather keen sensation of
regret. She had always liked Jervis Blake very much --
liked him from the first day she had seen him. He
had a certain claim on the kindness of the ladies of the
Trellis House, for his mother had been a girl friend
of Mrs. Otway's.

Most people, as Rose was well aware, found his

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