"Don't know where you are, eh? I'll enlighten you. You're at The Forest, the home of that most beautiful lady, Evelyn Berkeley. You're a fortunate man to have won her sympathy so completely. By Jove, old man, you rode a great race yesterday! But you were clean done up at the finish and no wonder." "What the deuce are you doing here?" asked Alan. "I'm home for a few days, made up my mind to see Bandmaster win the steeplechase." "And did he?" asked Alan. "Did he! I should rather think so. Don't you remember?" said Harry. "I have some recollection of a race. Did I ride him?" "Of course you did, but it took you all your time to stick on at the finish." "I remember," said Alan. "I was pretty right till I got to the last water jump. I don't recollect much after that." "No, I don't suppose you do. You were certainly dazed when you dismounted." "And he really won?" "He did." "Bandmaster is a great horse, a wonderful horse," said Alan enthusiastically. "I didn't help him a bit; he won the race on his own. Tell me all about it." Captain Morby, nothing loath, gave a good description of the race. Alan listened attentively, as though it were the first he had heard of it. "It was a race to get there in time," said Alan, and described hurriedly how he came from France and motored to the course. He stood up, looked at himself in the glass, and said: "I'm a nice object. I want cleaning up. I'm smothered in dirt and dust. What time is it?" "Half-past six." "Then we'll scrub before they're up. How did I get here?" Harry told him and added: "Miss Berkeley left me on guard for the night. I believe she wanted to remain but thought it better not." "Come along," said Alan. "I'm for a tub; I feel a heap better now, it's good to be home again after all I've gone through." "You'll have to tell us about your adventures," said Harry. "It's a long story; by Jove, old fellow, I wonder I'm alive!" said Alan. Eve Berkeley was down in good time, anxious to learn how Alan was. She found the door open, looked in, there was nobody in the room. She rang the bell. "Have you seen Captain Chesney?" she asked. Johnson smiled. "He's in the bathroom," he said. "You have seen him?" "I met him on the stairs." "What did he say?" "'How are you, Johnson? I'm going down for a tub. It will take some time to get clean, but I'll try and be down for breakfast. I'm hungry.'" "That was all?" "Yes." "Did he look ill?" "No, a bit tired. He's a wonderful man." "He is, Johnson; you are quite right, a very wonderful man," said Eve with a bright smile. When Alan came down he found her in the morning-room. He held out his arms. "Come to me, Eve, come! I want you badly--I love you so. I thought once I should never see you again and it nearly killed me. I dreaded the idea of never seeing you more than the danger or the bullets."