The Captain
studied the happy, resolute young face, drew a deep breath and then
turned to the fire once more.
"Yes," he assented. "But you would know that, from hearing her
talk."
Suddenly, Weldon's lips straightened, and he faced the Captain
directly.
"I like Miss Dent," he said frankly. "Of course, you know that. But,
moreover, I have always felt I owed her a debt of gratitude for
introducing me to you. I know one doesn't usually say such things,
Captain Frazer," he laughed, in sudden boyish embarrassment; "but it
is a little different on Christmas night, you know. Next year, we
may be miles apart, and so, if you don't mind, I'd like to say that
you have been wonderfully good to me, this year, and that I
appreciate it."
Captain Frazer took the outstretched hand, slim, but hard now, and a
bit stubby about the nails.
"Thank you, Weldon," he answered. "This may be our only Christmas
together, and I am glad you told me."
The silence about them was broken by the voices of the soldiers
singing around the camp fires and by the bagpipes playing somewhere
across the distance. Then, after a little, they fell to talking of
other things, with the natural antipathy of healthy men to any
recurrence of a momentary outburst of sentiment.
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