“So was Captain Mortimer,” replied Dorothy, “besides receiving mention in General Orders. But,” she added hastily, “are we going to discuss the Russian War, dear, or are you going on with your story?”
“I’m sure it must have been you who interrupted me, dear,” rejoined Beatrice imperturbably. “Let me see, where was I? Oh, yes! I had hidden behind the big bush. Well, on they came and, sure enough, they seated themselves at the very place I had just left. For a while they sat there quite still. Neither of them said anything and from my hiding-place I could smell the smoke of their cigars. I was trying to find some gravel, but I couldn’t discover any behind the bush, so I was stooping down looking for some pebbles of the right size, when suddenly Captain Swords’ voice came to me. ‘Stanley, old fellow,’ he said, ‘there’s been something wrong with you the last few days. Won’t you speak out and tell me what’s the matter? Usually there are no secrets between us.’
“It seemed to me a long time before the other made any reply, but at last his voice came to me.
“‘Ralph,’ he said, ‘I want to get out of this—to get away from here. I’ve made up my mind to leave the Guard and exchange into the Tenth, or some other regiment.’
“‘You astonish me, Stanley,’ replied Captain Swords; ‘for I thought it was rather jolly here and that you found it so, too. But, be that as it may, if you want to exchange, then exchange let it be for both of us. Just say the word—when?’
“‘What! You’ll leave the Imperial Guard, too?’ the other exclaimed.
“‘Yes,’ said Captain Swords, ‘we’ve always been together. Whenever you go, I go with you. Still, I’d like to know just what has put you out of sorts with things here.’
“Again there was a long pause before there came an answer. I was puzzling just what I ought to do—whether to come out and announce myself, or stay quietly where I was. You see, having unintentionally listened so far, I was embarrassed and didn’t know quite what to do. Before I could make up my mind, Captain Mortimer again spoke.
“‘Ralph,’ he said, ‘I’ll be quite frank with you. Before I came to this cursed Court, my experiences with women had been the ordinary ones of a soldier. I hadn’t been here a week, though, before I met one who appealed to me as no other woman ever had. No need for me to name her. You know whom I mean.’
“‘The women here do seem to have a decidedly queer effect upon a man,’ answered Captain Swords. ‘I have noticed that. But I didn’t mean to interrupt. Go on, Stanley.’