“Mercy, that doesn’t matter!” said Lexy. “Aren’t you going to change your shoes? You ought to. Well, then, you’d better come in and eat your lunch this minute.” “You’re no end kind, to bother like that!” he said earnestly. “I do appreciate it!” “Who wouldn’t be?” thought Lexy, glancing at him. “You poor soul, you look as if you’d seen a ghost!” He took his place at the table, and Lexy sat down opposite him, her chin in her hands, anxiously waiting for him to begin to tell her what had happened. “Beastly day, isn’t it?” he said, with an obvious effort to speak cheerfully. “Awful!” agreed Lexy. “And yet, you know,” he went on, “I rather like a walk on a day like this. The country about here is pretty, don’t you think?” Lexy glanced around, to make sure that Mrs. Royce had closed the door behind her. “Captain Grey!” she said, leaning across the table. “Tell me, did you see her?” He did not meet Lexy’s eyes. He was looking down at his plate with that curious dazed expression in his face. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I saw her.” Lexy was hurt and disappointed by his manner. Evidently he didn’t want to tell her anything, didn’t want to talk at all. Very well—the only thing for her to do was to maintain a dignified silence. She did so for almost ten minutes, but then nature got the upper hand. “Well?” she demanded. “Was everything all right?” “All right?” he repeated. “Oh, rather! Oh, yes, thanks—absolutely all right.” This was too much for Lexy. “That’s good,” she said frigidly. “I’m going upstairs now, to write some letters.” Her tone aroused him. He sprang to his feet, very contrite. “No! Look here!” he said. “Please don’t run away! I—I want to talk to you, but it’s a bit hard. You can’t imagine what it’s like to see one of your own people, you know—after such a long time.” Lexy sat down again. “Was she as you expected her to be?” she asked. “I don’t quite know what I expected,” he said. “Only—” He paused for a long time, and Lexy waited patiently, for she felt very sorry for Captain Grey. At first sight she had imagined him to be haughty, stiff, and aloof. She knew now that he was a very sensitive man. He was terribly moved, and he wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t. She tried to help him. “Dr. Quelton came to see me this morning,” she observed. “Yes—he said he would. Very decent sort of chap, don’t you think?” “Do you mean you _liked_ him?” asked Lexy. Captain Grey was a little startled by this Yankee notion of liking a person at first sight. “Well, you see,” he said, “I’ve only met him once; but he seems to me a very decent sort of chap. He’s clever, you know, and—and so on, and my sister seems very happy with him.” “Happy?”