I thought "I knew it all the time! All the time at the bottom of my mind I felt that there was something of the kind..." And swiftly my thoughts flew back to that day on the hillside when I had been feeding Mrs. Price's chickens.
That was the first time that I had seen Captain Holiday out of khaki.
As I'd caught sight of his light figure in those ancient tweeds and that disreputable scarecrow's hat I had at once sensed something familiar. Through the mists of forgetfulness a gleam of recognition had struggled, and I had actually asked: "Isn't your name Richard Wynn?"
He'd denied it—— No. He had put me off with "My name is Holiday, you know"; leaving me wondering why I had asked such an idiotic question.
And now, weeks afterwards, here was this friend of his letting it out casually that the young man's name was both Holiday and Richard Wynn!
What was the meaning of this? Why did he——
A hundred questions crowded into my mind. Other questions chased each other over the face of Colonel Fielding as he looked at me. We were standing as if turned into a couple of milestones on that country road, the bright evening sunlight dazzling our eyes. There wasn't time for more than a very few of these questions. I couldn't monopolize Elizabeth's fiancé for the rest of the evening! Yet I had to get in my questions first.
Quickly pulling myself together and collecting what senses seemed to be left to me, I began:
"Colonel Fielding, what you've just told me is a great surprise."
"Er—so it seems," returned Colonel Fielding, still regarding me in a puzzled manner. "I say, I am sorry if I have ... er ... dropped any sort of brick. It just slips out sometimes. I mean, calling old Dick 'Wynn' instead of 'Holiday,' even now. One ought to be quite accustomed to his being 'Holiday' by this time. It's ... er ... five years since he took the name, isn't it?"