of them informed me, with an air of extreme delight,
that young Jervis Blake had heard from the War
Office that, in spite of his many failures, his services
will now be welcomed by a grateful country. I didn't
like to make the obvious answer----"

"And what is the obvious answer?" asked Rose,
wrenching her hand away from his. She told herself
that she hated the feel of James's cold, hard
hand.

"That we must be jolly short of officers if they're
already writing round to those boys! But then, of
course" -- he lowered his voice, though there was no
one there to hear, "we are short -- short of everything,
worse luck!"

But that was the only thing Cousin James said of
any interest, and it did not specially interest Rose.
She did not connect this sinister little piece of information
with the matter that filled her heart for the
moment to the exclusion of everything else. It was
not Jervis who was short of anything -- only Jervis's
(and her) country.

After Mrs. Otway had come down and joined them,
though James talked a great deal, he yet said very
little, and as the evening went on, his kind hostess
could not help feeling that the War had not improved
James Hayley. He seemed more supercilious, more
dogmatic than usual, and at one moment he threatened
to offend her gravely by an unfortunate allusion
to her good old Anna's nationality.

By that time they were sitting out in the garden,
enjoying the excellent coffee Anna made so well, and
as it was rather chilly, Rose had run into the house to
get her mother a shawl.

[[126]]

p125 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p126w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p127

v?