vanity and flatters her. There is no honour among women, they are all the same; there isn't a sport among them—not one; and the prettier a girl is the less of a sport she is."

"I am plain enough to be a sport," I put in.

"Yes," he acquiesced indifferently; then he suddenly swung round on me. "The real explanation of to-night is going to be damned awkward," he said curtly. "Do you realise that?"

"Yes."

"Then why explain? It suits me jolly well if you don't."

"I must."

"Why?"

"Oh—because I must."

"A fool reason."

"We can't pretend to be engaged."

"Why not? I think it would be rather a piquant relationship. It appeals to my debased sense of humour. It would at least have this Stirling advantage over the average engagement. We needn't be a couple of confounded hypocrites the whole time with each other. We have no mutual regard—we could at least reserve our self-respect by being honest; or perhaps the prospect of explaining to the inflammable Major, his Colonel, and the Colonel's lady, the circumstances that necessitated the loving embrace in which they found us to-night appeals to your sense of humour?"

"Don't be a beast," I flashed out.

"You perceive how charmingly natural we are already. I find it refreshing—and I intend to continue to refresh myself. Own honestly that you simply daren't explain. The Colonel is going back to the mess for bridge. When I arrive the entire mess will be in a position to congratulate me. Those officers who have charming wives in billets will carry back the glad tidings of our betrothal."

"You must stop him!" I said. "Oh—please—please—do something! Where are they?" I searched the hill for the three figures.

"They have considerately left us to our lovers' lingering. Your father is swollen with pride to-night."

"Why?"

"Because I am an excessively eligible young man—the sort of young man no one expected you to noose."

"You are a horrible young man—perfectly beastly!"

Yet I did not hate him, he was so frightfully exciting. I can't quite explain to myself what I felt about him. I could breakfast every morning in his company for a year and not know what I was eating once. I am quite sure of that.

"I am not going to let you go," he said suddenly. "I have made up my mind about that. You are a present from the devil to the worst side of my nature. There, aren't you thrilled? Doesn't your foolish female heart flip-flap?"

"No," I said stormily; "and I think you are talking like an idiot."

"Delightful creature! Now, listen here, young spitfire, I'm going to give you a good time——"

"I won't take it!"

"You'll lap it up as a kitten laps up milk—that's all girls are for."

"I am going back to explain to father and mother."

"The thought of 'father' explaining to the C.O. and the mess fills me with pleasurable anticipation. Your own conduct alone will require all his ingenuity to explain; the natural and charming and quite unblushing way in which you accepted the very nice congratulations of Mrs. Walters and the Colonel requires quite a——"

"I didn't know what I was doing."

"That merely denotes you an idiot."

"Where are we going?" I said, suddenly realising the pleasant wiry spring of the heather was gone from beneath my feet.

He gripped my arm and laughed. "I am taking you to pay a little call," he said.

II

"It's Brennon House!" I protested. "You aren't going in here!"

For answer he swung open the gate of the largest house in the neighbourhood, still keeping tight hold of my arm.

"Why not?" he demanded coolly. "I have a book to return."

"But it must be nearly ten."

"Better late than never."

"Besides—I don't know them—and I have my old mack on."

I knew who lived there well enough.

Mother had called.

"It is an honour to know the Gilpins," he assured me.

I knew that. I knew they were frightfully rich and aristocratic, and that half the officers were crazy about Grace Gilpin. All the most attractive ones used to live up at Brennon House playing tennis and boating on the artificial lake in the grounds; and they used to give weekly dances and have a coon orchestra from London, and they had amateur theatricals and no end of fun.

Grace Gilpin had always seemed sort of unreal to me, like the princess in a fairy story. I had never seen her.

"Please! Please!" I protested. "This is madness!"

"It is delicious madness," he said softly.

In the moonlight I could see the heavy, colourless heads of flowers; the scent of them, sweet and strange and all different, seemed to wave over us for a minute as we passed.

"They'll be on the veranda," he said. "We'll go round."

"You're not going in!" I said desperately.

He stopped and looked down at me.

"In six weeks I go to the front with my draft," he said. "And I hope to be killed. To-night has placed us both in the most extraordinary position. It's practically impossible for us, at the moment, to extricate ourselves. It just happens that fate has played into my hands in the rummiest way. I don't want to extricate myself. Six weeks is a very short time. I'm awfully rich. I'll give you a topping time, a time you'll remember all your life—if you won't try to extricate yourself for six weeks."

"Pretend to be engaged to you?"

"Why not? You've no one else in view at the moment. Everyone will envy you, and say sweet things to your face and nasty things behind your back. If you won't—I leave you to explain things to your people and the regiment and the wives of the regiment."

"I can't!"

"Precisely! Then why worry? What does our engagement demand of us? Civility and excessive courtesy in our bearing towards each other before people. And please"—he caught his breath sharply—"when we are alone we will have no horrible hypocrisy, no feminine flim-flam, no playing up and pretty lies and coquetries and deceits; nothing but the plain unvarnished truth and bare honesty; as we have no interest in each other, we can at least pay each other the compliment of behaving as if we were two men."

"But," I began, dazed. He absolutely carries you off your feet.

"Come on," he said curtly.

We went through a sort of old-fashioned honeysuckle and