"I never gave it a thought; I didn't know a war could affect that sort of thing. What a fool I've been! Oh, if only I'd followed your advice--I mean two years ago!" She spoke with a great deal of painful agitation, and Major Guthrie felt very much distressed indeed. It was hard that he should have had to be the bearer of such ill tidings. "I blame myself very, very much," he said sombrely, "for not having insisted on your putting that money into English or Colonial securities." "Oh, but you did insist!" Even now, in the midst of her keen distress, the woman's native honesty and generosity of nature asserted itself. "You couldn't have said more! Don't you remember that we nearly quarrelled over it? Short of forging my name and stealing my money and investing it properly for me, you couldn't have done anything more than you did do, Major Guthrie." "That you should say that is a great comfort to me," he said in a low voice. "But even so, I don't feel as if I'd really done enough. You see, I was as sure--as sure as ever man was of anything--that this war was going to come either this year or next! As a matter of fact I thought it would be next year--I thought the Germans would wish to be even more ready than they are." "But do you really think they are ready?" she said doubtfully. "Look how badly they've been doing at Liege." It was strange how Mrs. Otway's mind had veered round in the last few minutes. She now wanted the Germans to be beaten, and beaten quickly. He shook his head impatiently. "Wait till they get into their stride!" And then, in a different, a more diffident voice, "Then you'll consent to relieve my mind by keeping the contents of that envelope--I mean of course by spending them? As a matter of fact I've a confession to make to you." He looked at her deprecatingly. "I've just arranged with my London banker to make up those Hamburg dividends. He'll send you the money in notes. He understands----" and then he got rather red. "He understands that I'm practically your trustee, Mrs. Otway." "But, Major Guthrie--it isn't _true_! How could you say such a thing?" She felt confused, unhappy, surprised, awkward, grateful. Of course she couldn't take this man's money! He was a friend, in some ways a very close friend of hers, but she hadn't known him more than four years. If she _should_ run short of money, why there must be a dozen people or more on whose friendship she had a greater claim, and who could, and would, help her.