THREE HELIOS . 
49 
“ Yes, hit in two places. But he’s got a 
chance.” 
The corporal reported his discovery, and 
the general changed colour slightly under the 
dark sunburn. He, too, seemed anxious to 
make sure, lor he walked up to the stretcher 
and stooped over it. 
“ Take this man’s deposition the moment 
he regains consciousness,” he ordered. a And 
let me have it immediately.” 
Then he mounted and rode forward to 
attend to his country’s business. His own 
could wait. 
IV. 
Through the whole of the weary, jolting, 
bumping journey to the base Furleigh lay 
on his back in the ambulance and groaned. 
He had had the good fortune to be hit at 
a time when there were no other wounded 
men to deal with, so the surgeons had had 
time to spare for him. They saved his life, 
but they did nothing to spare his feelings. 
He was to be sent home, they told him, 
on the first home-going troopship, and in all 
likelihood he would be invalided from the 
army. 
And what was a man to do, he wondered, 
who knew no trade, and had nobody who 
cared a hang about him, and nothing but a 
few pounds of wound-money to fall back 
upon ? 
He had been a fool, he thought, as usual. 
And fooled by Copeland once again. Why 
hadn’t he taken that mule and ridden away, 
as that cad Copeland did ? He could have 
left Copeland to his fate then — and serve 
him right ! Why hadn’t he ? Because then 
he would have been a cad, like Copeland. 
He thought it over still more on board 
the troopship going home, and in the end 
he began to feel almost satisfied. He had 
been faced with an ugly proposition, and 
he had not hesitated. He had played the 
game. What else mattered ? 
But the long days of convalescence in 
Netley Hospital brought gloom with them 
again. Discha-ge from the army was each 
day twenty-four hours nearer, and London 
loomed big, with the friendless streets and 
the benches, and the hurrying, careless 
crowds again. Nobody visited him. Pie had 
plenty of time to think. And not one of the 
plans he thought of brought him a single 
gleam of hope. 
Then one day they did bring in a visitor 
to see him, and he turned over on his cot, 
a little wearily, expecting to see a missionary. 
or some semi-professional ward-visitor, who 
would bore him with well-intentioned plati- 
tudes. But he gasped and turned even 
whiter than his wound had left him when he 
saw who stood beside his bed. 
“ Good morning, Mr. Robert, sir,” said 
a well-remembered voice. 
“ You, Blades ! Have you left, then ? ” 
“ No, sir; I’m still your father’s butler.” 
“ What brought you here ? ” 
“ Your father’s letter, sir, and the first 
train I could catch. He ordered me to 
bring you this by hand.” 
The butler handed him an official-looking 
envelope, and Furleigh seized it and tore 
it open with fingers that twitched and 
trembled. 
It was dated from General Headquarters, 
and ran ; — 
Dear Bob, — Blades will bring you this, and by 
this same mail he will receive my orders to wait 
on you, and convey you home the moment you are 
well enough to leave the hospital. When I ordered 
you out of the house, it: appears that I acted under 
a false impression. You were in the wrong, for you 
put your name on a promissory note in spite of my 
orders, and in spite of your own promise not to do 
so. I had no idea, though, that Mr. Copeland had 
most of the money, that you repaid your share of 
it to him, and that it was he, not you, who failed 
to meet it. T suppose that in my anger I gave you 
no opportunity to explain ; or possibly your own 
misguided sense of honour prevented you. In any 
case, vour fault was not so great: as I supposed, and 
you have been punished for it quite enough. You 
are welcome home again. 
You will possibly be interested to learn that Mr. 
Copeland has left ^ the army. Her Majesty having 
no further use for his services. The coincidence of 
my receiving your signals direct, coupled with the 
certainty that you could not have known that l was 
with that column, and the opportunity that I had 
to investigate the circumstances on the spot and 
reconstruct what happened from the evidence directly 
afterwards, was a piece of wonderful good fortune. 
I will attend to the matter of your honourable 
discharge from the army, as vou will readily under- 
stand that I could not, in all the circumstances, 
possibly recommend you for promotion. What you 
did, however, shall be considered as having blotted 
out the past. 
Your affectionate father, 
W HITTING HAME FlTRLET G II , 
General Commanding, Eastern Transvaal. 
“ Tt’s all over the county, sir.” said 
Blades. “ Your father’s written home and 
told pretty near everyone all about it, and 
how you’re his heir again. We’re all glad, 
sir ! ” 
“ Gad. Blades ! The old man doesn't do 
things bv halves, does he ? ” 
“No/ sir,” said Blades, “he don’t. An’ 
if you asked me, his son don’t either. Seems 
it runs in the family.” 
Vol. xlvi. — 6. 
