He looked at her wistfully, and Char felt glad that the conversation should end on a note that, on his part, was almost pleading. She rose, smiling a little. "It's all right, Johnnie. And you'll soothe Plessing for me, won't you?" But Captain Trevellyan, also rising, shook his head and looked very uncompromising. "Cousin Joanna is wonderful, but she looks very tired," he remarked, and moved away as the sound of Puffles's bark heralded Lesbia Willoughby's return. Char, also moving out of reach as rapidly as possible, saw him making his way towards the corner where Grace Jones was wiping plates as fast as they were handed to her, steaming and dripping, from the zinc wash-tub. She felt annoyed and almost uneasy, and thought to herself: "He can't be seriously attracted by her. Why, she isn't even pretty, as one or two of them are." Attracted or not, Captain Trevellyan remained in conversation with Miss Jones for the rest of the evening. Char had not even the satisfaction of seeing her neglect her work, and forthwith rebuking her, for her exceedingly pretty hands never stopped their rapid, efficient moving. Char decided that she owed it to the uniform to inform her cousin that members of her staff, when engaged in the performance of their duty, must not enter into unofficial conversations. She reserved this shaft, however, for later on, not wishing Trevellyan to discover the immediate workings of the law of cause and effect. Her energies for the time being were fully engaged in avoiding the hospitable advances of Mrs. Willoughby. "Well, my dear, sweet child," said Lesbia acrimoniously, "you are behaving like an absolute little fool (I know you won't mind your mother's greatest friend being perfectly candid with you), and I assure you that you'll regret it bitterly. As my Lewis said to me quite the other day, that girl is simply ruining her chances. Whom does she ever see, shut up with a pack of women all day and every day? Now, with us, you'd at least have civilized meals, with half the regiment always dropping in. The boys in Lewis's regiment always _did_ come to me, from the days when he was only a Captain--young things always cling to me." "Thank you," said Char, "but I'm afraid I shouldn't be very good company. By the time I've finished work, and interviewed all the various officials and dignitaries that I'm unfortunately obliged to see on nine days out of ten, I have not very much conversation left to entertain youths from the barracks." Mrs. Willoughby made no pretence at failing to perceive the motive inspiring these utterances.