She said, haughtily: "I suppose I am laying myself open to misconstruction and insult again by coming here to speak to you." "Did you come to speak to me, Ailsa?" "Yes. Celia Craig is here--upstairs. I have never told her that you have even been in this place. She does not know you are here now. If she finds out----" "I understand," he said wearily. "Celia shall not be informed of my disgrace with you--unless you care to tell her." "I do not care to tell her. Is there any reason to distress her with--such matters?" "No," he said. "What do you wish me to do? Go out somewhere--" He glanced vaguely toward the darkness. "I'll go anywhere you wish." "Why did you come--again?" asked Ailsa coldly. "Orders--" he shrugged--"I did not solicit the detail; I could not refuse. Soldiers don't refuse in the army." She stood looking at the floor for a moment. Then: "Why have you changed your name?" "It's not a permanent change," he said carelessly. "Oh. You wish to remain unrecognised in your regiment?" "While my service lasts." Her lips formed the question again; and he understood, though she had not spoken. "Why? Yes, I'll tell you," he said with a reckless laugh. "I'll tell you why I wear a new name. It's because I love my old one--and the mother who bore it--and from whom I received it! And it's because I won't risk disgracing it. You have asked, and _that's_ why! Because--_I'm afraid in battle_!--if you want to know!--afraid of getting hurt--wounded--killed! I don't know what I might do; I don't _know_! And if the world ever sees Private Ormond running away, they'll never know it was Constance Berkley's son. And _that's_ why I changed my name!" "W-what?" she faltered. Then, revolted. "It is not true! You are _not_ afraid!" "I tell you I am," he repeated with a mirthless laugh. "Don't you suppose I ought to know? I want to get out of bullet range every time I'm shot at. And--if anybody ever turns coward, I prefer that it should be trooper Ormond, not trooper Berkley. And that is the truth, Ailsa." She was scarcely able to suppress her anger now. She looked at him, flushed, excited, furious. "Why do you say such untruthful things to me! Who was it that fairly kicked his fellow troopers into charging infantry with nothing but lances against bullets?" Amazed for a second, he burst into an abrupt laugh that rang harshly in the room. "Who told you such cock-and-bull stories, Ailsa?" "Didn't you do it? _Isn't_ it true?" "Do what? Do what the Government pays me for doing? Yes, I happened to come up to the scratch that time. But I was scared, every inch of me--if you really want the truth." "But--you _did_ it?" He laughed again, harshly, but apparently puzzled by her attitude. She came nearer, paler in her suppressed excitement. "Private Ormond," she faltered, "the hour that you fail under fire is the hour when I--shall be able to--forget--you. Not--until--then."