“Mrs. Huntly. Her husband was a fellow of ‘ours,’ you know; but he got on the shelf, and they gave him some appointment at home to hush him asleep with. We have an awfully short day, haven’t we? And a beastly hot one!” The young man’s eyes grew wistful, for he loved his profession; and he had not been out long enough to grow stale, or to have his ambitions adjust themselves to lower standards. Jack sighed. “It’s a bit too long for some of us,” he said; and he dutifully thought of Muriel, till the remembrance of a polo match transformed them both into enthusiasts, and the talk grew unintelligibly technical. It was not until Jim Musgrave rose to go back to his own quarters that Jack remembered to tell him that his aunt was an old friend of his, and to ask if the pretty girl was her cousin, Miss Travers. “By Jove, do you know her?” shouted the surprised Jim. Jack nodded. “Good-night!” he said briefly, and Jim took his dismissal, wondering how well his friend had known Miss Travers. Jack remembered the look in Gladys’ eyes, and resolutely pretended that it meant nothing; nevertheless he was not altogether sorry he was going to see her again. He told himself it was because she was Muriel’s great friend. Then he went out to have a final look at the pony; it was necessary that it should be really fit for to-morrow’s match. CHAPTER XVIII “Where will God be absent? In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.” “MY DEAR MURIEL, “You and I have always been good friends, and though I have never said anything to you about your trouble over Jack Hurstly it has not been because I have not felt for you. I thought that you were very foolish to give him up. Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long. I think one of the saddest things is to realize how well one can get on without some one who seemed so absolutely necessary. Men always reach it soonest, for if they can’t attain their ideals they can satisfy their instincts, while we women have to rub on between the two and dress nicely. My husband wants to see India again—why, I don’t know—smells, heat, travel and inferior races, not to mention being cut off from everything for months, and I’ve promised to accompany him, principally because it’s easier to accept than refuse, and Gladys seems so set on it. She has promised to give Alec Bruce his answer when she returns. It is positively a last flourish, she declares; and between you and me I think she means to try once more for the bird in the bush before settling on the hand one. “It’s rather brutal of me to write of it to you, but though she is clever enough and blinds most people I feel certain she cares for Jack, and I am a little uncertain as to how he will act when he finds it out.