"Dear me, dear me," she said in distress, "if she only knew!" "There's thousands of women that'd ride out mad to meet him," said Soolsby carefully; "women that likes to see an Englishman that's done his duty--ay, women and men, that'd ride hard to welcome him back from the grave.

Her ladyship's as good a patriot as any," he added, watching the Duchess out of the corners of his eyes, his face turned to the desert.
The Duchess looked at him quizzically, and was satisfied with her scrutiny.

"You're a man of sense," she replied brusquely, and gathered up her skirts.

"Find me a horse or a donkey, and I'll go too," she added whimsically.

"Patriotism is such a nice sentiment." For David and Lacey the morning had broken upon a new earth.