"I don’t mean just physically," Jim continued. "No normal, healthy man’s afraid, of course. I suppose it’s the danger of my job that gives it a zest. I’ve never shown myself to be the other sort of coward, either, I hope?" Sir Reginald just held out his hand. "Wouldn’t it be cowardly, then, to desert the woman I love just at the moment she most wants me? I don’t mean that she just wants my love, but she wants my protection. The protection my name can give her. We have a clean record, we Crichtons, haven’t we? I shall be smirching it if I desert the woman I promised to marry just because her brother’s turned out a bad egg." "A convict. A felon." "Yes, yes, but it would make no difference had he been a murderer." Sir Reginald turned away. His cigar fell into the grate, he leaned his arms on the mantelshelf and buried his face between his hands. "What do you propose to do?" he asked eventually. "To announce our engagement at once. Or, if that decision does not meet with her or your approval, to wait a little while and then announce it. I’ve given her my word, and I’m going to keep it. I’m sorry, father, if it hurts you, but you must see that I’m right." "I don’t see it!" Sir Reginald cried fiercely. Then, after a few moments’ silence, "Do you know what it means if you persist in marrying her? It means your career will be ended. You will have to send in your papers." "I don’t think so." Sir Reginald turned round. "There can be no question. Do you mean to say if you married a convict’s sister you would be tolerated in any regiment, in any decent society?" Jim sighed. "I don’t know. Perhaps you’re right. After all, aviation is not confined to the army. I can still do my job. The world’s a big place, father." He stood by Sir Reginald’s side and laid his hand on his shoulder. "I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, dad. But, leaving my feelings out of the question, putting aside society, even love, I feel it’s my duty to keep my word, my duty to protect the woman who loves me." Sir Reginald nodded his head. He looked at his son through a mist. "Have you thought of your duty to me? Your duty to society, then—to the State?" "The fact that I love will not prevent me doing all three. The woman I love is straight, clean, honourable. She has done nothing of which to be ashamed. If because of this woman you and society and the State refuse my services"—he shrugged his shoulders—"as I said, the world is large, father. I’m young, and I can fight." The old man held out his arms. "You’re young and you’ll forget. She’ll forget, too, Jim. My boy, you don’t know what you’re doing. Why, she’s only a girl. Inside of a year, she’ll forget it. There are lots of men——" He stopped, hesitated, and looked at his son again. "Why, that fellow, Mr. Despard, who was down here a little while ago, I know he’s in love with her——"