"Oh no, no!" the pain in his voice brought the tears to her eyes. "Don't say it's some one else! I could have given you up to him, but not---- You know something of what he is; there is no braver or better fellow in India, and now that his name is known, there's no saying how far he will go. You could not have refused him--unless----" Honour was opening and closing recklessly the cameo clasp that fastened her black velvet bracelet. "Did you come here to plead Major Charteris's cause?" she asked in a very small voice. "What if I--if I told you your--your pleading had convinced me?" "I should say you had chosen the better man," said Gerrard steadily. A hand touched his for a moment, and was snatched away immediately. "I have chosen the better man," murmured Honour. "But it is not Major Charteris," and the hand allowed itself to be captured. "I was certain of it!" cried Gerrard triumphantly. Honour withdrew her hand hastily. "Certain? certain of what?" she demanded. Gerrard was horrified. "Miss Cinnamond--Honour--my dearest one--what have I done? I am an unlucky fellow! Have I offended you?" "You said you were certain," explained Honour, with impatient deliberateness. "What were you certain of?" "Why, that you could not have refused Charteris--splendid fellow that he is, and with all his honours and successes--unless there was a little sneaking kindness in your heart for some one else, and I hoped it might be for a poor wretched failure who has nothing to lay at your feet beyond his love and fidelity." Honour surrendered her hand again. "You are so absurd!" she said, with a catch in her voice. "Of course, if pity is all you want----" "Pity is not to be despised. It made a good beginning----" "It did not!" cried Honour sharply. "How blind you are! And I thought you understood! When you came to the Residency in the rains, were you to be pitied then?" "I thought so. You would hardly look at me." "Oh, stupid! how could I?" "You had begun to care then? But, dearest, how could I guess? You talked about nothing but Charteris." "It was the only way I could get you to talk about yourself. You had to tell me little bits about your own doings when you were describing all he had done." "If I had only known, it would have saved a lot of misery, both to poor old Bob and me," mused Gerrard ruefully. "But how could I possibly tell! When you asked so much about Charteris, of course I thought you cared for him." "As if I could ever have talked about him to you if I had cared for him!" said Honour in disdain. Gerrard mused upon this revelation for a moment. "Well, I don't see how I could have known," he said at last. "Why, I told you!" cried Honour--"when you went away." "I thought you must have meant that--just for a moment. But then you ran away, and would not even say good-bye to me."