Later in the day, the two men walked down the High Street, of course in accordance with a pre-arranged plan decided upon by the artful lovers. The first person they met was Miss Burton, sauntering along slowly; Miss Burton, now Mrs Pomfret, as fast as the ecclesiastical law of England could make her. She welcomed them with her ready and charming smile. "What strangers we are," she cried gaily. "And how nice to meet my only two friends in Blankfield." Pomfret did a little finessing on his own. "I have been away for a few days, too," he explained glibly. "Had to go up to London to look after some business of my poor old aunt's; only got back by the mid-day train." "Did you enjoy your visit?" inquired Hugh of Norah, with that stiffness which he could never quite dissociate from his manner when addressing either brother or sister. "Yes and No," was the answer. "On the whole, I had quite a good time, but I am not sorry to get back to Rosemount, and my little household gods. Knowing you both has made such a difference to my life here." She was laying it on a little bit thick, Hugh thought, and he fancied she looked more at Pomfret than himself, as she said it. But he made a suitable and courteous reply. She was just about to turn away, when a sudden thought seemed to strike her. "As Mr Pomfret and I have been such wanderers, would it not be nice to celebrate our return? Will you both come to dinner to-night, and we can relate our experiences?" Pomfret jumped at the invitation, and Hugh had to follow suit. As a matter of fact, he was rather eager to go. They were both playing their parts very well, but he was quite convinced they _were_ playing a part. He was more certain about Jack than about her. Jack had been a bit too glib, had over-acted, as it were. They had met in London, if only for a few hours; he would have bet a thousand pounds on that. Jack declared that he would walk back to Rosemount with Miss Burton. He did not now care a farthing what members of Blankfield Society he met. Very shortly, the army would know him no more, and he would take up a new life with this fearless girl whom he had married on the sly. Hugh strolled on, and looked in at the various shops. The High Street happened to be rather empty on this particular afternoon, the _elite_ of Blankfield Society had not yet turned out for its usual promenade. Turning away from a jeweller's shop window, where he was inspecting some sleeve-links, he was confronted by a tall, sturdily built man of about fifty years of age, who raised his hat. "I believe I have the pleasure of addressing Captain Murchison?" he inquired politely. Hugh directed a swift glance at him. He was not exactly a common person, on the other hand he was certainly not a gentleman. There was something military in his bearing; he might have been a retired Sergeant-Major. "That is my name," answered Hugh a little curtly. "And who are you, please?"