422 
THE STRAND MAGAZINE . 
Woolwich Garrison within a fortnight — and 
the decision had seized her then. She had 
two nephews at the Academy ; she had smiled 
upon its commandant : had hinted willingness 
to visit them ; had accepted invitation ; and 
had fixed a date to chime with the inspection 
upon Woolwich Common that forenoon in 
July. She had come up from Tonbridge that 
morning ; she was going to indulge weakness, 
to sec, take leave of Sir John Dixon, congrat- 
ulate him, hide her part in his preferment, 
listen (this much she must allow herself) to his 
proposal, refuse it, be flattered by it — depart — 
and be weak no more. So she played with 
fire. 
She sat, now, looking out idly upon that 
City platform ; its types amusing, strange. 
Suddenly she who looked at them idly looked 
at them no longer, started, flushed, had her 
head half-averted ; then turned it resolutely 
back. As she turned it, her eyes met the eyes 
of the man who came up beside the train. 
Tie, too, started ; then, at the sight of her, 
lifted his Homburg hat. The woman’s face 
showed nothing ; she was grande dame , 
mistress of her emotions, sure of herself, most 
sure. But the flame of the fire she played 
with leaped up, licking at her heart. 
Good morning, Lady Mildred. This is 
luck ! May I come in ? ” 
She nodded, smiling — no trace of agitation 
showing in her face. The man entered, shook 
hands with her, and sat down. 
“ Ten o’clock, Lady Mildred. What good 
luck brings you -of all people— into a 
suburban train at such an hour ? ” 
“ My car, which would not bring me 
farther than Sevenoaks, and a train from 
Sevenoaks here. I started early— from 
Tonbridge. I am going to Woolwich.” 
“ Woolwich ! ” 
“ Yes, Woolwich ” — her speech grew imper- 
ceptibly more careless- “ I’ve two young 
nephews at the ‘ Shop.’ The commandant 
prevailed upon me. He has a garden-party.” 
“ Yes, after the inspection. The Duke will 
be there l ” 
“ And you ? ” 
“ Oh, yes, of course. 1 wanted to escape 
from it — T saw no way out of it — and now — 
I’d find no way if I could ! ” 
Dm flattered ” ; she took, accepted his 
assertion not as compliment, but pleasant 
truth. “ We shall meet, then ? ” 
“ And talk, I hope ! ” 
“ 1 hope so. Ah! Sir John, we’re off. It’s 
a short run dow n. 1 know.” 
“ Thirty minutes. That gives me just an 
hour to get into uniform.” Ho paused, 
looked at her, hesitated, then went on. “ You 
are coming to the inspection, Lady Mildred ? ” 
“ I think so. The commandant of the 
Academy says it’s interesting. He tells me 
you gallop your guns.” 
“ Yes; it’s ” — he spoke quickly, boyishly 
— “ hang it, it’s rather good to ride with them, 
Lady Mildred ! ” 
“ And they tell me it’s good to see. Oh, 
what a noise these trains make 1 I so hate to 
have to shout ! ” 
He nodded, smiled, and stayed silent, 
swift to meet her mood. The woman sat 
looking out of the window ; the man sat 
watching her face. She saw him — every 
feature of him, though her eyes were turned 
away. And she, the strong, feared him — and 
she could not lose her fear — and she would 
marry him, yet she would refuse him, and 
above all she would have him ask. 
“ I could love him,” she told herself. “ I 
could love him with all my heart. But could 
I keep on loving him ; is he big enough to 
make me forget race ? ” 
She sat there, in her corner — in her thoughts 
still dreaming of that weakness which she 
felt she would never commit — asking herself 
these questions. She saw him, quiet, in dark 
blue flannels, white of teeth, moustached and 
bronzed and virile ; wide- jawed, frank-eyed, 
and something stern of brow. She knew him 
loved of his gunners, believed in by the men 
who had done things, haled by the failures, 
praised by his subordinates who forget, in his 
personality, the class from which he sprang. 
Yet the warm and woman’s heart of her went 
weakening to the romance of his career. 
A battery cut off in a hill campaign ; officers 
killed and wounded ; Lieutenant Dixon 
repelling the enemy, fighting his way to safety 
— with his guns ; a captain, with a shattered 
thigh-bone, rescued in perilous circumstance 
and brought back to safety with the rest. For 
this the Cross and commendation ; the begin- 
ning of a career. Again distinction ; good 
work in Egypt ; in South Africa brave deeds, 
fine tactics- -that rarer British gift. A great 
general’s approval ; a position henceforward 
established among the younger generation - 
as men of battle count age. To crown and 
cap it a Colonial governorship. Not a li fe, this, 
to despise ! 
It. was between St. John’s and Lewisham 
that Lady Mildred Festing turned and looked 
at her vis-a-vis once more. She saw him 
looking at her, quiet, with eyes that half 
shone, halt twinkled, taking from the stern- 
ness of his face. 
“ I’m sorry,” she said ; and spoke breath- 
