"Austen!" the other replied simply, and he held out his hand. There was no doubting the wistful sincerity of his appeal; and yet Hawke came forward but slowly, and took the outstretched hand with a watchful suspicion. "You are a stranger here," he said. Gordon answered the implied question. "Well, I was only in the way at Keswick." He stopped abruptly, mindful that he trod delicate ground. Hawke shot a rapid glance at him. "Why?" he asked. "Bridesmaids, you know. I was a flounder in a shoal of mermaids," and Gordon laughed apologetically. But Hawke joined in the laugh, and said--"Yes; the bridegroom is of no value until the wedding-day;" and he added softly, "and sometimes he is of no value after it." Gordon smiled confidently and observed--"At all events, you have not changed." "My dear fellow, we are not all----" He cast about for an epithet less offensive than that ready to his tongue. "We are not all versatile." "The adjective hardly explains my case; for I don't seem to have existed at all before." "Don't," Hawke broke in. "Please don't. I will take your sentiment for granted." Gordon appreciated that he had brought the rejoinder upon himself by a misplaced egotism, and relapsed into his chair. Hawke came and stood immediately above him, leaning against the edge of the table. "And so," said he, "you came to Wastdale just to see me." He laid his hand on Gordon's arm with a show of cordiality, but he spoke slowly and with a faint flavour of irony about the words. "What made you think that?" Gordon asked in surprise. "Your message, of course." "You misunderstood it. I had no idea you were here until I arrived myself. I meant to spend the week at Ravenglass, but my uncle was summoned to town yesterday. So I thought that I would come over to the old place again." "Oh! Is that all?" Hawke's voice told of relief. Gordon noticed the change, and turned inquiring eyes on him sharply. Just for the second their glances crossed; Hawke was off his guard; and it appeared to his companion that the very spirit of malice was blazing triumphantly in his eyes. Hawke rose hastily from the table, and Gordon cried out-- "Take care! You will have the whisky on the floor." "I didn't notice it. Shall I help you?" "Thanks!" Hawke measured out the whisky into the glasses and filled them from the kettle which sang on the fire. "It's quite like old times," he said genially. "Not quite!" "You mean Arkwright? Yes, poor devil! I had forgotten him. Tell me how it happened." And he lay down on the sofa. "Why, didn't you hear!" "Only vaguely." He hesitated, shot a furtive look at Gordon, and added, tentatively-- "I was in India at the time." "Were you in India, too?" Gordon exclaimed. Hawke turned his head to the wall to conceal the smile on his face, and answered-- "Yes, I was there. But why 'too'?" "Well, because----" "Yes?" "Well, Miss Nugent happened to be at Poonah." "Really? But tell me about Arkwright."