Harry looked puzzled for a moment, and then smiled. "I hoped you would," he said, "for now I shall be able to talk to you about her." "Thanks," said Wilbraham, drily. "I’m glad I’m going to get some reward." Harry laughed. "A young man in love is supposed to be rather a bore, isn’t he?" he said. "I seem to remember having read so, but people in love haven’t interested me much so far. Well, but of course that was for you to decide—whether you’d keep it to yourself or not. You might not have thought it right to do so; I couldn’t tell. But this is something quite different—not about Viola, you know. I want you to find out something for me, and I don’t want Granny to know yet that I’m thinking about it. You may think she ought to know." "I suppose it’s something about the war," said Wilbraham, with the memory before him of Harry’s silence after that speech of Lady Brent’s at dinner. "I shan’t tell you what it is unless it’s only between you and me," said Harry. "I’ve a right to my own thoughts." "Very well, then, I promise." "I want you to find out for me exactly what chances there are of my being able to get a commission without going through the regular Sandhurst training. I don’t think I want to wait for that if there are other ways." Wilbraham considered this. "You’re only seventeen," he said. "Nearly eighteen," said Harry, "and a fine-grown boy for my age." "Why shouldn’t you want your grandmother to know? You heard what she said just now. If things are going to be altered so that training is cut short, she’s quite ready for you to take advantage of that." "Ah, yes. She couldn’t help it, you see. But I think she’d do what she could to stop me doing anything that could be helped. I want to know if there is any other way before I say anything to her at all. I know so little about it. But supposing I could get my commission quicker by enlisting, for instance." "Oh, my dear boy, you wouldn’t want to do that. You heard what she said. She was quite right there. I believe the men of your family have been soldiers for as long as the men of any family." "That’s just why I want to be one, now there’s some sense in soldiering, and as quickly as possible." "Yes, but as an officer. We’re not so hard pressed yet that we want to cut grindstones with razors. It would be waste of material for you to enlist." "Not if it led more quickly to being an officer. That’s what I should do it for. I know it has been done. People did it in the South African War."