“I’m not quite sure,” he said.  “Sometimes I’d like to ... well, to make her a little speech about what she’s done, and sometimes I’d like to crawl to her and kiss her feet—­but both those things are when I’m feeling bad.  On the whole, I think—­though I’m not sure—­that is not my business any more; in fact, I’m pretty sure it’s not.  It’s part of the whole campaign and out of my hands.  It’s no good talking about that any more.  So please don’t, Jack.”

“One question?”

“Well?”

“Have you written to her or sent her a message?”

“No.”

“And I want to say one other thing.  I don’t think it’s against the bargain.”

“Well?”

“Will you take five hundred pounds and go out to the colonies?”

Frank looked up with an amused smile.

“No, I won’t—­thanks very much....  Am I in such disgrace as all that, then?”

“You know I don’t mean that,” said Jack quietly.

“No, old chap.  I oughtn’t to have said that.  I’m sorry.”

Jack waved a hand.

“I thought perhaps you’d loathe England, and would like—­And you don’t seem absolutely bursting with pride, you know.”

“Honestly, I don’t think I am,” said Frank.  “But England suits me very well—­and there are the other two, you know.  But I’ll tell you one thing you could do for me.”

“Yes?”

“Pay those extra bills.  I don’t think they’re much.”

“That’s all right,” said Jack.  “And you really mean to go on with it all?”

“Why, yes.”

(V)

The moors had been pretty well shot over already since the twelfth of August, but the two had a very pleasant day, for all that, a couple of days later.  They went but with a keeper and half a dozen beaters—­Frank in an old homespun suit of Jack’s, and his own powerful boots, and made a very tolerable bag.  There was one dramatic moment, Jack told me, when they found that luncheon had been laid at a high point on the hills from which the great gray mass of Merefield and the shimmer of the lake in front of the house were plainly visible only eight miles away.  The flag was flying, too, from the flagstaff on the old keep, showing, according to ancient custom, that Lord Talgarth was at home.  Frank looked at it a minute or two with genial interest, and Jack wondered whether he had noticed, as he himself had, that even the Rectory roof could be made out, just by the church tower at the foot of the hill.

Neither said anything, but as the keeper came up to ask for orders as they finished lunch, he tactfully observed that there was a wonderful fine view of Merefield.

“Yes,” said Frank, “you could almost make out people with a telescope.”

* * * * *