“And so your friend Captain Falkland has gone! That was a sudden flight.”
“I believe his father is very ill.”
“I wonder,” she murmured meditatively; “or was it just an excuse to clear out of a compromising fix and a dangerous neighbourhood?”
As I saw that she was bent on being excessively spiteful and disagreeable I remained silent.
“I see you have got his dog,” she continued. “Love me love my dog, eh?”
“The dog was originally mine,” I said.
“Ah, then I suppose you both love him! So you and Captain Falkland know one another at home?”
“Yes.”
“It is doubtful if he will ever come out again. We shall all miss him tremendously. Do tell me, is it true that your brother is not going home with the regiment, but is trying very hard to get into the Indian Army?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, “but I do not think it’s the least likely, or he would certainly have told me.”