ind if i do he said rising and moving toward them what do you want me to do who s my partner the three other men stared at one another in surprise for was one of the best players in the regiment and in an ordinary way would as soon have thought of counting honours as of settling the question of partners other than by cutting except in the case of a revenge why take a card of course my laughed in a soft voice was a recent from the white and had taken possession of the place left vacant in every day life by scott s marriage ah yes to be sure � cut of course i believe said looking at the three faces before him in an uncertain way i believe i ve got a headache oh nothing like for a headache answered turning up the last card ace of diamonds however after stumbling through one game � after twice his partner s trick a i several such like � he rose to his feet it s no use you fellows � i m no good to night i can t even see the cards get some one to take my place and make a fresh start why you re ill cried what is it baby it s a devil of a headache answered promptly here s miles � the very man good night good night called the fellows after him then they settled down to their game and dealt never saw before said oh yes he gets these sometimes answered not often though miles your lead meantime went wearily away almost feeling his road under the of the along the broad in front of the officers quarters and up the wide flight of stone steps to his rooms facing the green of the square being the senior captain with only one bachelor field officer in the regiment he had two large and pleasant rooms not very furnished for though a rich man he was not an extravagant one and saw no fun in having costly goods and to be at the tender of soldier servants but they were neat clean and comfortable with a of great easy travelling chairs plenty of fur and lots of pretty little pictures and the fire in his sitting room was fast dying out but a bright and cheerful blaze his sleep big room shining on the brass of his cot on i silver at the � baby dressing case on the three or four scent bottles on the tall table and on the tired but figure of himself he dragged the big chair pretty near to the fire and dropped into it with a sigh of relief absolutely too sick and weary to think about getting into bed just then as had said sometimes these seized him but it did not happen often � in fact he had not had one for more than a year � quite often enough he said well he had been lying in the big and easy chair his eyes shut and his hands hanging idly over the broad which served for arms for perhaps half an hour when to his surprise he heard a soft rustling movement behind him his first and not unnatural thought was that the fellows had come to draw him so without moving he called out oh confound it all don t come a poor devil with a headache by jove it s cruelty to animals neither more nor less the soft rustling ceased and closed his eyes again with a devout prayer that they would in response to this appeal take themselves off but presently it began again accompanied by a sound which made his heart jump almost into his mouth and beat so furiously as to be simply it stopped � was repeated � the devil muttered but it was not the devil at all � like a baby little angel in truth � for after a moment s he sprang from his chair and faced horror behind him it really was a horror to for there sitting up among the pillows of the cot with the clothes pushed back was a baby � a baby whose short golden curls shone in the � a little child dressed in white with a pair of open wondering eyes as bright as stars and i blue as stood in dismay staring at it where in the name of all that s wonderful did you come from p he asked aloud keeping at a safe distance lest it should suddenly start howling but the little stranger did not howl on the contrary as its bewildered eyes fell upon figure his gold scarlet jacket and gold embroidered waistcoat of white velvet his gold and spurs stretched out its little arms and cried took a step back in his and his headache vanished as if by magic by � jove he exclaimed � � the of the cot cheerily went a step nearer why you re i queer little beggar he remarked where did you come from eh the queer little beggar suddenly changed its baby ire � � tone ant started another system of more triumphant and cheery than the first � � � it went began to laugh can t talk � hey well what do you want as it struggled fiercely to rise and stretched out its small arms more impatiently than before want to be lifted up hey oh but dash it scratching his head can t lift you up you know � it s out of the question � impossible by jove i might let you drop and you � � � oo � oo the baby as if it was the best joke in the world positively roared you don t mind well come along then approaching very and wondering where he should begin to get hold of it so to speak the baby soon settled that question 