“Don’t fret—there’s a good fellow. Fortune of war, you know. Anything else?”

Here he closed his eyes, and seemed gone; but he wakes up again, and begins in a dreamy way. His words came slowly, but his voice never altered one bit.

“I’m sorry I fired at poor Warrigal now. No dog ever was more faithful than he has been to me all through till now; but I was vexed at his having sold Dick and poor Jim.”

“We knew we should find you here or hereabouts without that,” says Sir Ferdinand.

“How was that?”

“Two jockey-boys met you one night at Calga gate; one of them recognised Locket by the white patch on her neck. He wired to us at the next station.”

“So you were right, after all, Dick. It was a mistake to take that mare. I’ve always been confoundedly obstinate; I admit that. Too late to think of it now, isn’t it?”

“Anything else I can do?” says Sir Ferdinand.

“Give her this ring,” he pulls it off his finger, “and you’ll see Maddie Barnes gets the old horse, won’t you? Poor old Rainbow! I know she’ll take eare of him; and a promise is a promise.”

“All right. He’s the property of the Government now, you know; but I’ll square it somehow. The General won’t object under the circumstances.”

Then he shuts his eyes for a bit. After a while he calls out—“Dick! Dick Marston.”

“I’m here,” says I.

“If you ever leave this, tell Aileen that her name was the last word I spoke—the very last. She foresaw this day; she told me so. I’ve had a queer feeling, too, this week back. Well, it’s over now. I don’t know that I’m sorry, except for others. I say, Morringer, do you remember the last pigeon match you and I shot in, at Hurlingham?”

“Why, good God!” says Sir Ferdinand, bending down, and looking into his face. “It can’t be; yes, by Jove, it is—”

He spoke some name I couldn’t catch, but Starlight put a finger on his lips, and whispers—

“You won’t tell, will you? Say you won’t?”

The other nodded.

He smiled just like his old self.

“Poor Aileen!” he says, quite faint. His head fell back. Starlight was dead!

Chapter L

CHAPTER L