“How I wish it were all over!”

“You can be sure we are all with you in that.”

Miss Carruthers joined us.

“It has been such a pleasure to see you, Major Merrivale,” she said. “I shall never forget how you looked after us.”

“Like the good shepherd,” added Andrée.

“Don’t say that,” I protested with a laugh. “It makes us all sound like sheep. I always think that ‘shepherd’ in that respect is not a very good analogy. After all, the shepherd looks after the sheep to prepare them for the slaughter house.”

“Some die of old age,” said Miss Carruthers.

“But even they are kept just for their wool.”

“What about the Pied Piper?” suggested Miss Carruthers, with a rare look of roguishness.

“Well, he led the children into the mountainside, didn’t he?” I said.

“Ladies,” said Marcus. “I am no shepherd and no piper…just an ordinary fellow who was overjoyed to be of service to you. What I did was something anyone could have done.”

“Well, I think you were very resourceful in a difficult situation,” declared Miss Carruthers. “It was an experience I shall never forget and will always be grateful for.”

My mother joined us with Aunt Hester and the conversation became general.

I was sure that everyone thought it was a successful evening, and after it was over Marcus Merrivale remained in my thoughts. I was discovering that I liked him very much. I noticed that even the servants were impressed by the charm he extended to them. He had stepped into our lives as a hero. He was the kind of man who seemed to care about other people’s feelings, and he had a smiling consideration for everyone; and I was beginning to think that there was something special in his attitude toward me.

The next day Uncle Gerald called to say good-bye.

The news was bad. The Germans were on the outskirts of Mons and a great battle was in progress.

“We’ve got to hold them,” said Uncle Gerald. “We’re stepping up the movements of men and ammunition. The regiment’s leaving tomorrow at dawn.”

“Major Merrivale will be with you, I suppose,” said my mother.

“Oh, yes. Nice fellow, isn’t he?”

“Most attractive, and of course, we are especially grateful to him. And to you, naturally.”

“You’ve made that plain. I knew he could be trusted to do the job. Rather dashing, don’t you think? Popular with the ladies.”

“That does not surprise me,” replied my mother.

“Good family, too. Branch of the Luckleys. The duke would be a second cousin, I believe. Army tradition in the family. Marcus will go far. He’s got the flair and the background.”

“He seemed to get on well with Lucinda,” said my mother. “I suppose when something like that happens, it brings people close together. I hope we shall see more of him.”

“He’ll have his hands full while this goes on. And so will most of us.”

“It’s got to be over sometime.”

“The sooner the better. But I think it may be later than sooner. There’s a lot of determination on both sides. I have a notion it might be rather a long struggle.”

“People seem to think it will be over by Christmas.”

“That’s what the press tells them, and they repeat it like parrots. Well, I suppose it is a good thing, to look on the bright side.”

“Bring that nice major to see us when you can,” said my mother. “You can trust me to do just that,” replied Uncle Gerald.

Annabelinda arrived in London with her mother.

“We have some shopping to do,” said Aunt Belinda. “I said to Robert, we can’t allow this dreadful war to stop everything. We’ve got to get on with our lives, haven’t we?”

“So you have left Robert behind?”

“There’s so much to do, he said. What with young Robert in the army and some of the people on the estate joining up…”

“I suppose it makes things difficult. However, you are here.”

“How’s that nice major? Robert knows the family.”

“Gerald said he was connected with the Luckleys.”

“I’m impressed,” said Aunt Belinda. “Annabelinda told me what a charmer he is. I hear he is coming to dinner. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.”

“I’m afraid not. He has been to dinner. We had to put it forward…because he and Gerald were going overseas earlier than they thought.”

Annabelinda’s face darkened. “Oh,” she murmured. “But Lucinda told me there was to be a dinner party. I’ve got a special dress.”

“I’m sorry,” said my mother. “But never mind. It couldn’t be helped. They had to leave earlier than they thought at first. Things are rather bad over there.”

I could see how bitterly disappointed Annabelinda was. The thought crossed my mind that she had persuaded her mother to come because of this dinner party. I was certain of this that evening.

She burst into my bedroom, her face distorted with anger.

“You sly, deceitful creature,” she said. “You did it on purpose. I understand why.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You…and Marcus. You knew he wasn’t coming on the twenty-third but earlier, and you didn’t let me know.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I should have been there.”

“You weren’t invited.”

“Of course I wasn’t. You saw to that.”

“I didn’t think about it. If you had been here, of course you would have been. But you weren’t. We don’t invite you every time we have a dinner party. You’re too far away anyway.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about the change of dates?”

“It didn’t occur to me that I should.”

“You didn’t want me there, did you?”

“You would have been there if you had been in London.”

“You told me that the party was to be on the twenty-third when you knew it was the nineteenth.”

“When I mentioned in my letter that the party was going to be on the twenty-third I thought it was.”

“And when the date was changed you deliberately held that back.”

“I did not hold it back deliberately. The date was changed after I had written to you and I did not think it necessary to tell you of the alteration.”

“You were afraid I would come up. You didn’t want me to. You were afraid that if I were there he wouldn’t take any notice of you.”

“I thought no such thing.”

“Oh, yes you did. You were jealous. It’s always the same. You were trying to make him notice you, and you were angry because he showed clearly that he liked me better. You like him, don’t you? You try to attract him. Well, let me tell you, he is more interested in me than in you…and that’s why you didn’t want me here.”

“You’re talking the most arrant nonsense. I thought nothing of the sort. You think everybody is in love with you. Just because…”

“Because what?”

“Because of Carl Zimmerman.”

Her face darkened. I thought she was going to hit me.

“Don’t you ever mention him again!”

“Well, please don’t talk nonsense to me.”

She looked stricken suddenly. I had hated her a few minutes before. Now I felt that old affection stealing over me.

She said quietly, “That was mean of you, Lucinda.”

“I didn’t think to remind you of the dinner,” I said. “And it never occurred to me to attract his attention. If you had been here you would have come to the party. It wasn’t very grand.”

“You’re so young,” she said. “And it really seemed as though you were trying to keep me out. He’s a man of experience. He wouldn’t be interested in a schoolgirl. I’d hate to see you make a fool of yourself, Lucinda.”

“I was not the one to make a fool of myself. I’m not likely to over a man.”

“You throw yourself at him. You must let him do the chasing. The fact is, he is quite interested in me. I know it. One does know these things. I know how you feel about him. He really is rather fascinating, but you know absolutely nothing. He thinks of you as a child. He told me so. You mustn’t start thinking…”

“Thinking what?”

“That he likes you particularly. You’ll only get hurt.”