He was employed thus on this particular morning down at the bathing-place. He had already had a long swim, and, without dressing, lay down on the short turf and got out his writing-pad, when his new servant, who had taken William's place, came down with a telegram for him. He was a very good-looking boy, quick in movement and swift to smile, and already Archie wondered how he could have regretted the departure of plain middle-aged William. Only last evening Archie, idly glancing through a field-glass, had seen the boy far off in the meadow beyond the lake in company with an extremely pretty housemaid whom he had often noticed about the passages. The two had sat there some time talking, and then Archie saw the boy look quickly round, and kiss her. He liked that immensely; that was the way youth should behave. He almost hoped that it was Thomas who had taken from his table one of those new ten-shilling notes that he had missed. He mustn't do it too often, for that would be a bore; but Archie liked to think the boy had taken it, and perhaps converted it into a decoration for the pretty housemaid. Anyhow, Thomas, with his handsome face and his kissings in the meadow, and his possible pilferings, was an attractive boy, and clearly developing along the right lines. The boy hesitated a moment, seeing Archie dripping and naked. "I beg your pardon, my lord," he said, "but there came a telegram for you, and I thought I had better bring it down." "Certainly, but why beg my pardon?" said Archie. "Don't be prudish. I daresay you've got arms and legs as well as me, haven't you?" Thomas grinned with that odd shy look that Archie had noticed before. "Yes, my lord," he said. "Then what is there to be ashamed of?" Archie opened the telegram and read it, and suddenly bit his lip to prevent his laughing. "Is there an answer, my lord?" asked the boy. "I brought a form down in case." "Well done. Yes, there is an answer." Archie hesitated a moment before directing the form to Helena. Then he wrote: "Deepest sympathy with the terrible news. Command me in all ways. Your devoted Archie." "Send that at once, will you?" he said. When the boy had gone Archie read the telegram again, which was from Jessie, and told him that Lord Harlow had been killed at the front. Then he smothered his face in his bent elbow, and lay shaking with laughter. CHAPTER XIII