musingly.

"The very thing," he answered, "the very thing, Colonel Pepperell, for a
young man to do. If he go, I have no doubt I shall catch the fever, too,
being in the same house with him; Lord Bulchester may also, who knows?
there are three soldiers for you."

"For me, indeed!" echoed the Colonel with a laugh. "I should not refuse
you, though; I should be proud to pass you over to our commander,
whoever he may be."

Lord Bulchester at the moment looked as if his struggles for the coming
months were more likely to be personal than political. Katie had turned
to him with the kindest attention; her eyes looked into his with a shy
interest in the devotion that she found there. She was answering some
remark of his, more at length, it may be, than she need have done, but
with a most graceful amendment of an opinion doubtfully expressed, when
Waldo broke in with some question to her, and she finished in haste and
turned to him. Bulchester turned to him also, and in the eyes of the two
men as they met was war. Waldo had come back with the determination that
while there was life there should be hope. He had until this time
regarded Bulchester's marked attentions with the amusement that the
nobleman's unattractive exterior was likely to meet with in a rival.
Added to that was Waldo's conceit, which made him look through the large
end of the telescope in viewing others. But now he had heard Katie's
dallying--why hadn't she finished the fellow up quickly?--he had read
the determination in Bulchester's face, and had remembered his title.
Katie, meanwhile, with admirable unconsciousness, talked, now with one,
now with the other, giving most attention to Waldo, and yet making
Bulchester feel that if she had been assigned to him at dinner the