There's nothing in your textbook about hats. If you're going to
make yourselves disagreeable about this, I shall simply ignore the
regiment."

The two young men fell into attitudes of mock dismay. Nora took a
chocolate from a box.

"Be merciful, Miss Nora!" Harrison pleaded tearfully.

"Don't break the regiment up altogether," Somerfield begged, with a
little catch in his voice.

"All very well for you two to be funny," Nora went on, revisiting
the chocolate box, "but you've heard about the Seaforths coming,
haven't you? I adore kilts, and so does Helen; don't you, Helen?"

"Every woman does," Helen admitted, smiling. "I suppose the child
really can keep the hat, can't she?" she added, turning to the
Commandant.

"Officially the matter is outside my cognizance," he declared. "I
shall have nothing to say."

The two young men exchanged glances.

"A hat," Somerfield ruminated, "especially a Homburg hat, is scarcely
an appurtenance of warfare."

His brother officer stood for a moment looking gravely at the object
in question. Then he winked at Somerfield and sighed.