the War Office telegram stating that Major Guthrie
was wounded and missing, and she had glanced over
it with shuddering distress and pain, while her brain
kept repeating "wounded and missing -- wounded and
missing." What exactly did those sinister words signify?
How, if he was missing, could they know he
was wounded? How, if he had been wounded, could
he be missing?

But soon she had been forced to command her
thoughts, and to listen, with an outward air of calmness
and interest, to this detailed account of the poor
old lady's last hours.

With unconscious gusto, Howse again took up the
sad tale, while the maid stood by, with reddened eye-
lids, ready to echo and to supplement his narrative.

"Perhaps Mrs. Guthrie was not quite as well as she
seemed to be, ma'am, for she wouldn't take any dessert,
and after she had finished her dinner she didn't
seem to want to sit up for a while, as she sometimes
did. When she became so infirm, a matter of two
years ago, the Major arranged that his study should
be turned into a bedroom for her, ma'am, so we
wheeled her in there after dinner."

After a pause, he went on with an added touch of
gloom: "She gazed her last upon the dining-room,
and on this 'ere little room, which was, so to speak,
ma'am, her favourite sitting-room. Isn't that so, Ponting?"
The maid nodded, and Howse said sadly:
"Ponting will now tell you what happened after that,
ma'am."

Ponting waited a moment, and then began: "My
mistress didn't seem inclined to go to bed at once, so I
settled her down nicely and comfortably with her

[[190]]

p189 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p190w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p191

v?