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JIMMY STAUNTON’s soldier servant smiled tolerantly behind a large hand as he produced the fourth evening collar for his master’s inspection. Three had already been hurled into a corner, with oaths and curses, as unfit for a chimney-sweep to wear, and he waited patiently for the verdict on the last.

“What do they do with ’em, Wilton?” cried his master despairingly. “The blamed thing looks like a pleated skirt.”

His servant preserved a discreet silence as Staunton put it on; then he handed him a black tie. Few things are hidden from a man’s personal batman, and Wilton realised the solemnity of the occasion.

So much so, in fact, that when Jimmy, complete with overcoat and hat, was ready to leave his room, he permitted himself with a perfectly inscrutable face to say: “Good luck, sir.”

For a moment his master stared him; then a slow grin spread over his face.

“Damn your eyes, Wilton. Go to blazes.”

“Very good, sir. Tea the same time to-morrow morning, sir?”

But the door had already slammed behind the departing Jimmy. Should he, or should he not? That was the question. Point for: he loved her, and he felt tolerably sure that she rather more than liked him. Points against: he had exactly one hundred and fifty pounds a year beside his pay, and she couldn’t expect any more than that, even if she got as much, from her father. For Tiny Tim—the nickname by which the said father was known wherever soldiers were gathered together—was notoriously not blessed with an overflow of this world’s goods.

Tiny Tim—or, to be more formal, Lieut.-Col. John Mayhew, C.M.G., D.S.O. and bar, etc.—was Jimmy’s commanding officer. And Jimmy, in company with every other officer and man of the 1st battalion of the King’s Royal Loamshires, would have cheerfully lain down and let the Colonel walk over them, if it would have afforded him any pleasure. And the trifling fact that the men felt the same about Jimmy is beside the point. All that occupied the mind of that worthy as he strode towards the C.O.’s quarters was should he, or should he not? He knew there was no one else dining—Tiny Tim had told him so. He also knew that his host had some work to do after dinner which would take him about an hour. And as he stood on the door-step waiting for the servant to answer his ring, he admitted to himself the futility of his mental argument. If he had an hour alone with Peggy there wasn’t a hope.

She was alone when he went into the drawing-room, and his heart gave a quick bound forward as he saw her. What an utterly adorable girl she was; no wonder she was the apple of her father’s eye. Especially since her mother had died....

“Come back from leave at last, Peggy,” he said as he took her hand. “I’m thinking you’ve overstayed it badly.”

“Three months, Jimmy,” she answered. “And I’m off again the day after to-morrow.”

In spite of himself his face fell.

“The dickens you are!” he said. “We’ll have to get the C.O. to confine you to barracks.”

And then Tiny Tim came in, and they went in to dinner. It was an informal meal, such as the Colonel generally gave when he asked any of his unmarried officers in, and the conversation was of that intimate type—half shop, half sport, and wholly regiment—which seemed to come natural when Tiny Tim was present. Boring to an outsider perhaps, but there were no outsiders there. And it was when the fish was being cleared away that it struck Jimmy that the girl was unusually silent. At first he thought it must be his imagination, until he saw her father glance at her once or twice with a worried look in his eyes.

The port was put on the table, and after it had been round once Tiny Tim turned to her with a smile.

“Look here, Kitten,” he said, “you run along, will you? I want to talk to Staunton for a few minutes. Very confidential shop.”

Slightly surprised, Jimmy opened the door for her. What on earth could the C.O. want to say confidentially to him at such a time?

And when he’d sat down again and said, “Yes, sir,” politely, he got still more surprised. For Tiny Tim, who was usually the most direct of human beings, seemed to have considerable difficulty in beginning.

“What do you think of Peggy?” he blurted out suddenly. “Do you think she’s happy?”

Jimmy Staunton stared at him open-eyed.

“Good Lord, sir!” he stammered. “I—er—hope so. She seemed a bit silent at dinner.”

In silence Tiny Tim pushed the port towards him.

“Jimmy—I’m worried,” he said. “She’s all I’ve got, and—she’s changed. She’s been away, as you know—staying most of the time with a cousin of mine, Lady Badderley. I wanted her to have a good time and all that. I went and stopped there for a couple of weekends and, I dunno’, but it struck me there was a pretty putrid crowd in the house. I’m not particularly old-fashioned: I can stomach all sorts and conditions of men—and women; but I’m not Peggy. I don’t want her to get unsettled.”

He broke off, and Jimmy sat silent, hardly knowing what he was expected to say.

“How’s the work getting on for the Staff College?” said the Colonel suddenly.

“Pretty well, sir. I’m sweating like blazes.”

“For your ears alone, Jimmy,” said Tiny Tim: “I gather I’m going to get a brigade.”

“I should damned well hope so,” cried Jimmy.

“Brigade-Major is not a bad stepping-stone,” remarked Tiny Tim thoughtfully, and Jimmy grew red in the face. At last, incredible though it was, he began to see what his host was driving at.

“Don’t forget I married on practically nothing beside my pay,” went on Tiny Tim.

“Good Lord, sir!” stammered Jimmy. “You mean that I—why—Great Scott! I just worship the ground she walks on.”

Tiny Tim smiled.

“You surprise me, Jimmy. Er—why not tell her so?”

“But do you think—I mean—is there a chance for me?”

“Damnation!” exploded the Colonel. “You don’t expect me to find out for you, do you?”

He rose and put his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder.

“I want her to be happy, old man,” he said gruffly. “They’re a rotten lot—some of those men she’s been meeting—and she’s young. Good luck. I can give her a little.”

Without another word he walked out of the room, leaving Jimmy Staunton staring after him open-mouthed. Brigade-Major—and then if Tiny Tim got a Division, which he would—G.S.O. 2, or perhaps even 1.... He could afford it.... With care to start with, it could be done.

Almost in a dream he found himself in the drawing-room. She was sitting smoking a cigarette as he came in, with her back towards him. And for a moment or two he stood by the door drinking her in—the proud little shingled head, the adorable shoulders, the whole wonderful attraction of her. Then, as he closed the door, she turned and looked at him.

“Hallo, Jimmy!” she said. “Finished your shop?”

“Yes,” he answered. “The destiny of the British Army has been settled. Why are you going away so soon, Peggy?”

He was standing beside her, while she stared at the fire.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Aunt Vera asked me to come back.”

“Find it dull here?”

“Dull!” Her voice shook a little. “I’d give everything I possess to stop here, Jimmy.”

“But what’s to prevent you, my dear?” It slipped out unconsciously, that “my dear.” “The regiment don’t think they’re being treated at all well.”

She gave a little shiver, but didn’t speak.

“Peggy, is anything the matter?” He tried to keep his voice even; but it wasn’t a conspicuous success. “I mean—if so, it might help you to cough it up, old thing. Won’t go beyond me, don’t you know.”

He bent down, and saw that her eyes were swimming with tears.

“My dear,” he muttered hoarsely. “Tell me.”

“It’s nothing, Jimmy,” she said, getting up abruptly. “Don’t let’s worry about it. What shall we do? I’ve got a lot of new music...”

“Damn the new music,” answered the man quietly. “I want to know what the trouble is.”

“There isn’t any trouble,” she said defiantly.

“Then why were your eyes full of tears? Sit down again, Peggy—and get it off your chest. Two heads are better than one, old soul.”

She drew in her breath sharply; then she pointed to a chair.

“Go and sit over there, Jimmy, and don’t look at me. And swear—swear that you won’t tell a soul.”

“It’s hardly necessary,” he said quietly. “But I give you my word of honour I’ll tell no one.”

For a time she sat in silence with her head averted; then, a little jerkily, she began to speak.

“I’ve been a fool, Jimmy—such a fool. It all started with a week-end party about six weeks ago. Aunt Vera had asked a lot of people down for a dance at a house a few miles away. The dance was on the Friday night, and they were all staying till Monday morning. Between them there were about half a dozen cars, so we all split up and went over in driblets. I was going with Aunt Vera, and then after dinner I tore my frock and had to go upstairs to get it mended. And when I came down Aunt Vera had gone, and all the other cars except one. It belonged to a Mr. Maxton—Paul Maxton—and he had waited specially for me. He’d been down a week-end previously, and I rather—liked him. At least I thought I did. He was a beautiful dancer and ... oh! I don’t know, Jimmy: I said I was a donkey, didn’t I? He had a two-seater coupe, and we followed on after the rest of the party. In the car he started playing the fool, and I suppose I wasn’t as angry as I ought to have been. Anyway, he kissed me.”

She stole a quick glance at Jimmy Staunton, and then went on hurriedly. For that young gentleman’s expression was not prepossessing.

“You see, I’m telling you everything, Jimmy—and I hate him now. We got there late, of course, and so, more or less naturally, we had a good many dances together. And he does dance divinely. And when it was over, I don’t know how he managed it, but I found myself going back with him in his car. I suppose, to be fair, I ought to admit that I didn’t try and go in one of the others.

“Jimmy, it was horrible—that drive home. He—oh! I can’t tell you what it was like. I’m not an innocent little fool—girls aren’t, these days. But it was so utterly unexpected: I’d never dreamed for a moment that he was going to behave as he did. And then”—her voice was low—“he asked me where my room was.”

A strangled grunt came from the chair opposite, but its occupant said nothing.

“It was then I smacked his face as hard as I could. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man look quite so surprised in all my life. For a moment or two he sat there staring at me, and then he smiled quite politely.

“‘I deserve it, Peggy,’ he said. ’Please forgive me and forget all about it.’

“And we drove on home without another word being spoken. Next day he was perfectly charming, and—oh! don’t misunderstand me, Jimmy—I began to feel a little bit guilty. You know yourself that there are ways and ways of dancing, and the night before I had been a bit excited. And then I’d let him kiss me, and—oh! I don’t know. But I sort of felt that what had happened in the car on the way home was partly my fault. And so, when he came to me that afternoon—it was pouring with rain—and suggested that we should play bridge, I didn’t refuse. He knew I played, and he knew I wasn’t bad—so there was no excuse I could give for not doing so. Besides, I did feel, as I tell you, a little guilty.

“‘You and I,’ he said, ’will take on Singleton and Mrs. Talby. And we’ll wallop their heads off.’

“Oh! Lord, Jimmy—what an ass I was. I can play bridge—family bridge, or when some of you come in to dine—pretty well. But I ought to have known; I ought to have stopped. Captain Singleton and Mrs. Talby, as I found out afterwards, had played together for years. I was absolutely outclassed, and, in addition to that, I did hold the most terrible cards. And all through that afternoon we went on losing steadily—my partner and I. In fact we were nearly four thousand points down when the dressing-bell went for dinner. And I got up, wondering if I had got two pounds left in my bag upstairs. You see, I’d never thought of asking what we were playing for. We always play sixpence a hundred here, and I sort of assumed that the stakes wouldn’t be more than a shilling.

“‘I’ll square up, Miss Mayhew,’ said my partner, ’and you can settle with me later.’

“So, after dinner—we were dancing to a gramophone—I asked him how much I owed him.

“‘Look here,’ he said, ’you had the most rotten luck to-day. Why not let’s take them on again to-morrow, and get some of it back? You simply couldn’t hold those foul cards for two days in succession. There’s “Tea for Two.” Let’s go and dance.’

“So we went and danced, and I didn’t bother any more. I’d found a five-pound note that I’d forgotten about upstairs, so there was nothing to worry about, as I thought. And when it started to pour on Sunday worse than ever, I was quite ready for my revenge. Jimmy! if anything, the cards went worse. Every finesse went wrong, and when I did have a good hand it didn’t fit in with my partner’s. We lost and lost and lost, and big rubbers too. Doubles went wrong, and twice we were redoubled, and our opponents pulled it off. I was absolutely frightened to look at the score sheet, but I did when we stopped play. Jimmy! we were six thousand five hundred points down—over ten thousand points in two days. However, that was a fiver, at a shilling a hundred, and luckily I had it with me.

“It was after dinner again that I tackled Mr. Maxton, and insisted on knowing what I owed him.

“‘It’s the limit,’ he said ruefully. ’I’ve played bridge for years, and I have never known such a run of inhuman luck. Do you know that yesterday and to-day we have played twenty-five rubbers and only won two? Now as to settling up—I’ll let you know.’ He produced his notebook. ’Ten thousand three hundred points down, and twenty-one rubbers on balance—that’s two hundred and eight pounds. One hundred and three for the points, and a hundred and five for the rubbers.’

“Jimmy, I nearly fainted! I just sat there, staring at him blankly, with my poor little fiver clutched in my hand. For a few moments the shock was so paralysing that I could hardly grasp it.

“‘But what were we playing for?’ said a voice I dimly recognised as my own.

“‘The usual stakes,’ he answered, rather surprised. ’A pound a hundred, and a fiver on the rubber. But, if by any chance it’s inconvenient for you to write a cheque for that now, there’s no hurry. I’ve squared up with Singleton and Mrs. Talby. Let it stand over for as long as you like, and send me a cheque when it’s convenient.’

“I didn’t say anything: I was still too dazed. Two hundred and eight pounds!

“‘In fact, I insist,’ I heard him say. ’As a matter of form, and to make it quite in order, give me an IOU.’

“‘It’s very good of you,’ I heard myself saying, as I signed my name to the paper he held out. ‘I’ll send you the money as soon as I can.’

“‘Don’t hurry, Peggy,’ he insisted. ’Between friends such trifles don’t count.’

“And that was six weeks ago. Jimmy! what am I to do?”

Jimmy Staunton stirred restlessly in his chair.

“What’s happened since then, Peggy?” he said. “I suppose you’ve seen Maxton again.”

She nodded her head miserably.

“He’s been down for two week-ends,” she answered. “Last Sunday was the second. And, Jimmy, he was still very nice about it when he first arrived, but on Sunday evening he got me alone. And——” she covered her face with her hands—“he wasn’t nice about it any more.”

“’What do you mean?” said Staunton hoarsely.

She covered her face with her hands, and he only just heard her whispered “Jimmy, can’t you guess?”

And the next moment Staunton was on his feet, white to the lips and shaking.

“The swine!” he stammered. “The ungodly swine! Peggy! Peggy! Look at me, dear. You haven’t...”

She looked at him instantly.

“No, dear. But—but—he wants to know this next week-end.”

“But, dear God! Peggy,” he cried hoarsely, “you’re not even dreaming of doing what this foul sweep suggests. Tell him to go to hell.”

“How I wish I could, Jimmy,” she said with a little twisted smile. “Oh! the mask is off the brute now—he knows he’s got me. ’You smacked my face once,’ he said to me. ’The IOU’s yours if you don’t smack it again.’ But if I do, do you suppose I don’t know what will happen? Do you suppose he’ll keep that IOU to himself? Everyone will know, and everyone will think the worst. He’ll see to that. Oh! Jimmy—what am I to do? I can’t ask Daddy; I won’t ask him. I haven’t told you that—but he made me promise I wouldn’t play cards while I was away. And you know what he thinks of anyone who breaks their word. It would just break his faith in me. Besides—he’s so awfully hard up just now, I know.”

And suddenly she gave a little gasp, for Staunton was kneeling beside her with his arms round her, and his face touching hers.

“I love you, Peggy,” he whispered. “I adore you. Thank God! you’ve told me. I’ll give you the two hundred pounds to-morrow.”

“Jimmy, my dear,” she cried, “but you’re mad! You haven’t got two hundred pounds. And anyway——”

“I’ll give you the two hundred pounds to-morrow,” he replied steadily, “and you’ll go and spend the week-end with Lady Badderley. And in her presence, Peggy, you’ll hand over the money to this damned, ineffable swab, stating what it’s for. Then come back here, my dear, and we’ll burn that IOU together. And when you’ve come back I want to ask you a question.”

Before she could answer she heard the door close behind him. And Tiny Tim coming in a quarter of an hour later, and finding her alone, sighed a little sadly. For not unnaturally he placed a totally wrong construction on the situation, though he said nothing about it to Peggy.