"Please do not refer to it," he begged. "Your brother, I hope, is
well?"

"He is well and doing famously," she replied. "I suppose you know that
he is in France?"

"In France?" he repeated. "No, I had not heard."

"He joined the Canadian Flying Corps," she went on, "and he got his
wings almost at once. He finds the life out there wonderful. I never
receive a letter from him," she concluded, her eyes growing very soft,
"that I do not feel a little thrill of gratitude to you."

He bowed.

"That is very pleasant," he murmured. "And now we come to the object
of my visit. Your surmise was correct. I have come to ask you to
redeem your word."

"And you find me not only ready but anxious to do so," she told him
earnestly. "If it is a matter--pardon me--of money, you have only to
say how much. If there is any other service you require, you have only
to name it."

"You make things easy for me," he acknowledged, "but may I add that it
is only what I expected. The service which I have come to claim from
you is one which is not capable of full explanation but which will
cause you little inconvenience and less hardship. You will find it,
without doubt, surprising, but I need not add that it will be entirely
innocent in its character."