not, in the technical sense, a clever man, he had a
far more intimate knowledge of human character than
had his friend.

"I don't know how to thank you," she said at last.

He answered rather sharply, "I don't want you to
thank me. And Mrs. Otway? I can say now what
I've never had the opportunity of saying, that is, how
much I've felt honoured by your friendship -- what a
lot it's meant to me."

He said the words in a rather hard, formal voice,
and she answered, with far more emotion than he had
betrayed, "And it's been a very, very great thing for
me, too, Major Guthrie. Do please believe that!"

He bowed his head gravely. "Well, I must be
going now," he said, a little heavily and sadly. "Oh,
and one thing more -- I should be very grateful if
you'd go and see my mother sometimes. During the
last few days hardly a soul's been near her. Of course
I know how different you are the one from the other,
but all the same----" he hesitated a moment. "My
mother has fine qualities, once you get under that --
well, shall I call it that London veneer? She saw a
great deal of the world after she became a widow,
while she was keeping house for a brother -- when I
was in India. She'd like to see Rose, too" -- unconsciously
he dropped the "Miss." "She likes young
people, especially pretty girls."

"Of course I'll go and see her, and so will Rose!
You know I've always liked Mrs. Guthrie better than
she liked me. I'm not 'smart' enough for her."
Mrs. Otway laughed without a trace of bitterness.
And then with sudden seriousness she asked him a

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v?