“I have come, Sir, to ask for your advice.  I do not wonder at your surprise, it is indeed a strange sort of intrusion for a man to make upon whom you have never clapped your eyes before this evening.  But for one thing I fancy Mrs. Lashley wishes me to ask you for the favour.  She has said nothing definitely, in faith she could not as you will understand when you have heard the story.  But that I come with her approval I am very sure.  For another, had she disapproved, I should none the less have come of my own accord.  Sir, though I know you very well by reputation, I have had the honour of few words with you, but my life has taught me to trust boldly where my eyes bid me trust.  And the whole affair is so strange that one more strange act like this intrusion of mine is quite of apiece.  I ask you therefore to listen to me.  The listening pledges you to nothing, and at the worst, I can promise you, my story will while away a sleepless hour.  If when you have heard, you can give us your advice, I shall be very glad.  For we are sunk in such a quandary that a new point of view cannot but help us.”

Sir Charles pointed to a chair and politely turned away to hide a yawn.  For the young man’s lengthy exordium had made him very drowsy.  He could very comfortably had fallen asleep at this moment.  But Gibson Jerkley began to speak, and in a short space of time Sir Charles was as wide-awake as any house-breaker.

“Eight years ago,” said he, “I came very often to the Quarry House, but I always rode homewards discontented in the evening.  Resilda at that time had a great ambition to be a boy.  The sight of any brown bare-legged lad gipsying down the hill with a song upon his lips, would set her viciously kicking the toes of her satin slippers against the parapet of the terrace, and clamouring at her sex.  Now I was not of the same mind with Resilda.”

“That I can well understand,” said Sir Charles drily.  “But, my young friend, I can remember a time when Resilda desired of all things to be a horse.  There was something hopeful because more human in her wish to be a boy, had you only known.”

Mr. Jerkley nodded gravely and continued: 

“I was young enough to argue the point with her, which did me no good, and then to make matters worse, the soldier from Tangier came over the hill, with his stories of Major Lashley—­Captain he was then.”

“Major Lashley,” exclaimed Sir Charles.  “I did not hear the soldier was one of Major Lashley’s men!”

“But he was and thenceforward the world went very ill with me.  Reports of battles, and sorties came home at rare intervals.  She was the first to read of them.  Major Lashley’s name was more than once mentioned.  We country gentlemen who stayed at home and looked after our farms and our tenants, having no experience of war, suffered greatly in the comparison.  So at the last I ordered my affairs for a long voyage, and without taking leave of any but my nearest neighbours and friends, I slipped off one evening to the wars.”