Helen Fairclough looked away. There was a slight mist before her
eyes.

"I had a letter this morning," she replied. "She seems to have
heard nothing at all encouraging so far."

"And you haven't heard from Major Felstead himself, I suppose?"

The girl shook her head.

"Not a line," she sighed. "It's two months now since we last had
a letter."

"Jolly bad luck to get nipped just as he was doing so well," the
young man observed sympathetically.

"It all seems very cruel," Helen agreed. "He wasn't really fit to
go back, but the Board passed him because they were so short of
officers and he kept worrying them. He was so afraid he'd get
moved to another battalion. Then he was taken prisoner in that
horrible Pervais affair, and sent to the worst camp in Germany.
Since then, of course, Philippa and I have had a wretched time,
worrying."

"Major Felstead is Lady Cranston's only brother, is he not?"
Griffiths enquired.

"And my only fiancé," she replied, with a little grimace. "However,
don't let us talk about our troubles any more," she continued, with