The Zeppelins Passenger | Page 5

"Duty," the young man began -
"You can go back to the Depot and do your duty, then, Mr. Harrison,"

Nora interrupted, "but you're not going to have my hat. I'd throw it into
the fire sooner than give it up."
"Military regulations must be obeyed, Miss Nora," Captain Griffiths
ventured thoughtfully.
"Nothing so important as hats," Harrison put in. "You see they fit -
somebody."
The girl's gesture was irreverent but convincing. "I'd listen to anything
Captain Griffiths had to say," she declared, "but you boys who are
learning to be soldiers are simply eaten up with conceit. 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 corning, 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.
"I shall take the whole responsibility," he decided magnanimously, "of
saying nothing about the matter. We can't afford to quarrel with Miss
Nora, can we, Somerfield?"
"Not on your life," that young man agreed.
"Sensible boys!" Nora pronounced graciously.
"Thank you very much, Captain Griffiths, for not encouraging them in
their folly. You can take me as far as the post-office when you go,
Arthur," she continued, turning to the fortunate possessor of the
side-car, "and we'll have some golf to-morrow afternoon, if you like."
"Won't Mr. Somerfield have some tea?" Helen invited.
"Thank you very much, Miss Fairclough," the man replied; "we had tea
some time ago at Watson's, where I found Miss Nora."
Nora suddenly held up her finger. "Isn't that the car?" she asked. "Why,
it must be mummy, here already. Yes, I can hear her voice!"
Griffiths, who had moved eagerly towards the window, looked back.
"It is Lady Cranston," he announced solemnly.
CHAPTER II
The woman who paused for a moment upon the threshold of the library,
looking in upon the little company, was undeniably beautiful. She had
masses of red-gold hair, a little disordered by her long railway journey,
deep-set hazel eyes, a delicate, almost porcelain-like complexion, and a
sensitive, delightfully shaped mouth. Her figure was small and dainty,
and just at that moment she had an appearance of helplessness which
was almost childlike. Nora, after a vigorous embrace, led her
stepmother towards a chair.

"Come and sit by the fire, Mummy," she begged. "You look tired and
cold."
Philippa exchanged a general salutation with her guests. She was still
wearing her travelling coat, and her air of fatigue was unmistakable.
Griffiths, who had not taken his eyes off her since her entrance,
wheeled an easy-chair towards the hearth-rug, into which she sank with
a murmured word of thanks.
"You'll have some tea, won't you, dear?" Helen enquired.
Philippa shook her head. Her eyes met her friend's for a moment - it
was only a very brief glance, but the tragedy of some mutual sorrow
seemed curiously revealed in that unspoken question and answer. The
two young subalterns prepared to take their leave. Nora, kneeling down,
stroked her stepmother's hand.
"No news at all, then?" Helen faltered.
"None," was the weary reply.
"Any amount of news here, Mummy," Nora intervened cheerfully, "and
heaps of excitement. We had a Zeppelin over Dutchman's Common last
night, and she lost her observation car. Mr. Somerfield took me up
there this afternoon, and I found a German hat. No one else got a thing,
and, would you believe it, those children over there tried to take it away
from me."
Her stepmother smiled faintly.
"I expect you are keeping the hat, dear," she observed.
"I should say so!" Nora assented.
Philippa held out her hand to the two young men who had been waiting
to take their leave.
"You must come and dine one night this week, both of you," she said.
"My husband will be home by the later train this evening, and I'm sure

he will be glad to have you."
"Very kind of you, Lady Cranston, we shall be delighted," Harrison
declared.
"Rather!" his companion