Thissentiment,however,broughtlittlecomforttothechaplain。
"Iamnotapoliceman,"heprotested,"andIamnotgoingtoplaypolicemantothesemen。InoticethemshutupwhenIcomearound,butIknowquitewellthattheyturnthemselvesloosewhenIpasson,andthattheyfeelmuchmorecomfortable。Iamnotandwillnotbetheirpoliceman。"
"Whatthenwouldyoube?"inquiredtheM。O。
Barryponderedthisquestionforsometime。
"Totellthetruth,"hesaid,atlength,"Iconfess,Idon’tquiteknow。IwishIdid,doc,onmysoul。OnethingIdoknow,themenarenobetterhereintheirmoralsthantheywereathome。"
"Better?Theyareworse,byJove!"exclaimedtheM。O。"Lookatthedailycrime—sheet!Lookatthatdailyorderlyroomparade。
It’ssomethingfierce,andit’sgettingworse。"
"Thewetcanteen?"inquiredBarry,whohadlostprestigewithsomeinthebattalionbyreasonofthestrenuousfighthehadmadeagainstitsintroductionsincecomingtoEngland。Notthatthemencaredsomuchfortheirliquor,buttheyresentedtheideathattheyweredeniedprivilegesenjoyedbyotherbattalions。
"Thewetcanteen?"echoedthedoctor。"No,youknowIopposed,asyoudid,theintroductionofthewetcanteen,althoughnotuponthesamegrounds。Iregarditasaperfectnuisanceincamp。Itisthecentreofeverydisorder,itissubversiveofdiscipline;itmateriallyincreasesmysickparade。Butitisnotthewetcanteenthatischieflyresponsibleforthegrowingcrime—sheetandorderlyroomparade。Itisthosedamned——Idon’tapologise——"
"Pleasedon’t。Sayitagain!"exclaimedBarryfervently。
"Thosedamnedpubs,"continuedtheM。O。,"stuckateverycrossroadsinthiscountry。They’rethecauseofninetypercent。ofthedrunkennessinourarmy,andmorethanthat,IwanttogiveyouanotherbitofinformationthatcameoutatourM。O。conferencethisweek,namelythatthesepubsaccountforninetypercent。ofourtenthospitalcases。"
"Ninetypercent。,doctor?That’ssurelyhigh。"
"Iwouldhavesaidso,butIamgivingyoutheunanimousverdictofthetwenty—sixmedicalofficersattheconference。Cutoutthedamnedbeer——andyouknowItakemyshareofit——cutoutthebeerandninetypercent。ofthevenerealdiseasegoes。Withmeitisnotaquestionofmoralitybutofefficiency。"HeretheM。O。
sprangfromhischairandbegantopacethehut。"Thisistheonethinginthisarmybusinessthatmakesmewild。Wecomeoverheretofight——theseboysarewillingtofight——andbygadtheywillfight!Theygooutforawalk,theyhaveafewbeerstogether,theirinhibitorypowersareparalysed,opportunitycomestheirway,andtheywakeupalittlelaterdiseased。Godinheaven!IlovethisdearoldEngland,andIwoulddieforherifneedbe,butmayGodAlmightydamnherpublichouses,andalltheinfernalandviciouscustomswhichtheynourish。"
"Thankyou,doctor,gorighton,"saidBarry。"Iwasatthetenthospitalthisweekforthefirsttime。Eversince,Ihavebeenwantingtosaywhatyouhavesaidjustnow。ButwhatdidyourM。O。
conferencedoaboutit?"
"Whatcouldwedo?TheHomeOfficeblockstheway。Well,I’vegotthatoffmystomach,andIfeelbetter,"addedtheM。O。,withaslightlaugh。
"But,doc,Iwanttosaythis,"saidBarry。"Idon’tbelievethatthepercentageofmenwhogoinforthissortofthingislarge。
I’vebeenmakinginquiriesfromourchaplainsandtheyallagreethatwehaveamightyfineandcleanbodyofmeninourCanadianarmy。"
"Rightyouare!Ofcourse,itisonlyasmallpercentage,averysmallpercentage——amuchsmallerpercentagethaninourcivilianpopulationathome。Butsmallasitis,itisjustthatmuchtoomany。Hellandblazes!Thesemenaresoldiers。Theyhavelefttheirhomes,andtheirfolks,tofight。Theirpeople——theirpeoplearethebestinourland。There’sthatyoungPentland。Afineryoungchapneverthrewalegoverabroncho。He’sinthattenthospitalto—night。Iknowhismother。Threesonsshehasgiven。
Oh,damnitall,"thedoctor’svoicebrokeatthispoint。"Ican’tspeakquietly。Theirmothershavegiventhemup,todeath,ifneedbe,butnottothisrotten,damnabledisease。Lookhere,Pilot!"
ThedoctorpointedashakingandaccusingfingeratBarry。"Youhaveoftenspokenagainstthisthing,butnexttimeyoubreakloose,givethemmerryhelloverit。Youcan’tmakeittoohot。"
LongBarrysatsilentoverbornebythefuryofthedoctor’spassionateindictment。
"Cheerup,oldchap!"saidthedoctor,whenhiswrathhadsomewhatsubsided。"We’lllicktheKaiserandbeatthedevilyet。"
"But,doctor,whatcanIdo?"imploredBarry。"That’spartofmyjob,surely。Partofthejobofthechaplainservice,Imean。Oh,thatistheghastlytragedyofthisworkofmine。SomehowIcan’tgetatit。Theseevilsexist。Icanspeakagainstthemandmakeenemies,butthethingsgoonjustasbefore。"
"Don’tyoubelieveit,Pilot,notquiteasbefore。Beholdhowyouhavealreadycheckedmyprofanity。Eventheoldmanhasprettymuchcutitoutatmess。Youdon’tknowwheretheywouldhavebeenbutforyou。Cheerup!Ourwingsmaynotbevisiblebut,ontheotherhand,therearenosignsofhornsandhoofs。"
"Doctor,onethingI’lldo,"criedBarry,withasuddeninspiration"We’veameetingofthechaplains’corpsto—morrow。I’llgivethemyourspeech。"
"Expurgatededition,Ihope,"saidtheM。O。
"No,I’llputineverydamnIcanremember,and,ifneedbe,afewmore。"
"Lord,I’dliketobethere,oldboy!"saidthedoctor,fervently。
Barrywasasgoodashisword。Atthemeetingofthechaplains’
corps,thetimewasmainlytakenupinroutinebusiness,dealingwitharrangementsforreligiousservicesatthevariouscampswithinthearea。
Atthecloseofthemeeting,however,oneofthechaplainsroseandannouncedthathehadamattertobringtotheattentionofthecorps——amatterofthehighestimportance,whichdemandedtheirimmediateandseriousattention,andwhichtheydarednotanylongerignore。ItwasthematterofvenerealdiseaseinourCanadianarmy。
Hisstatisticsandillustrativeincidentsgrippedhardtheheartsofthemenpresent。Heclosedwithademandthatstepsbetakenthatdaytodealwiththesituation。TheCanadianpeoplehadentrustedthemwiththecareoftheirboys’souls。"Theirsouls,"
hecried。"Isayourfirstdutyistotheirbodies。Iamnotsayingthepercentageislarge。Itisnotaslargeasinthecivilianpopulationathome。Butwhyany?Wemustcareforthesemen’sbodies。Theyfightwiththeirbodies。"
HislastsentencestruckBarrytotheheart。Itrecalledhisownsermon,spokeninEdmontontohisfather’sbattalion。Immediatelyhewasonhisfeet,andwithoutprefaceorapology,reproducedasfarashewasabletheM。O。’sspeechofthepreviousnight,andthatwithoutexpurgation。
Therewasbutlittlediscussion。Therewasbutoneopinion。Itwasresolvedtocallajointmeetingofthechaplainsandmedicalofficerstodecideuponacourseofaction。
AsBarrywasleavingthemeeting,theseniorchaplain,anoldAnglicanclergyman,withasaintlyfaceandasmilethatsetone’stenderestemotionsastir,cametohim,andputtinghishandaffectionatelyuponhisshoulder,said:
"Andhowisyourworkgoing,mydearfellow?"
ItwastoBarryasifhisfather’shandwereuponhisshoulder,andbeforehewasawarehewaspouringoutthemiserablestoryofhisownsadfailureasachaplain。
"Poorboy!Poorboy!"theoldgentlemankeptsaying。"Iknowhowyoufeel。Justso,justso!"
WhenBarryhadfinishedrelievinghisheartoftheburdenthathadsolonglainuponit,theoldgentlemantookhimbythehandandsaid:
"Mydearfellow,remembertheyarefarfromhome。Theseboysneedtheirmothers。Theysorelyneedtheirmothers!And,myboy,theyneedGod。Andtheyneedyou。Good—bye!"
Barrycameawaywithawarmfeelinginhisheart,andinitanewpurposeandresolve。Nolongerwouldhebeapolicemantohismen。
Hewouldtrytoforgettheirfaults,andtorememberonlyhowsorelytheyneededtheirmothersandtheirGod,andthattheyneededhim,too。
Hefoundthecampthrillingwithgreatnews,gloriousnews。Thedaysolongawaitedhadcome。ThebattalionwasunderordersforFrance。Atthatverymomenttherewasanofficers’meetingintheorderlyroom。
AsBarryenteredtheroom,theO。C。wasclosinghisspeech。
Barrywasimmediatelyconsciousofanewtone,anewspirit,inthecolonel’swords。Hespokewithanewsenseofresponsibility,andwhatmorethananythingelsearrestedBarry’sattention,withanewsenseofbrotherhoodtowardhisofficers。
"InclosingwhatIhavetosay,gentlemen,letmemakeaconfession。
Iamnotsatisfiedwiththebattalion,norwithmyofficers。Iamnotsatisfiedwithmyself。Irememberbeingindignantatthereportsentinbytheinspectingofficerconcerningthisbattalion。I
thoughthewasunfairandundulysevere。IbelieveIsaidso。
Gentlemen,Iwaswrong。SincethattimeIhaveseenworkinsomeregimentsoftheImperialService,andespecially,Ihaveseentheworkonthefrontline。IthinkIknownowwhatdisciplinemeans。
Discipline,gentlemen,isthethingthatsavesanarmyfromdisaster。
Somethingswemustcutoutabsolutely。Whateverunfitsforservicemustgo。Isawasoldier,aCanadiansoldier,shotatthefrontforbeingintoxicated。IprayGod,Imayneverseethelikeagain。Atthispoint,Iwishtoexpressmyappreciationoftheworkofourchaplain,whoIamgladtoseehasjustcomein。Hehasstoodfortherightthingamongus,andhasmateriallyhelpedinthedisciplineandefficiencyofthisbattalion。Gentlemen,youhaveyourorders。Lettherebenofailure。Obedienceisdemanded,notexcuses。Gentlemen,carryon!"
Barryhurriedawaytohishut。Thewordsofhiscolonelhadliftedhimoutofhisdespair。Hehadnotthensodesperatelyfailed。
Hiscolonelhadfoundsomethinginhimtoapprove。AndFrancewasbeforehim!Therewasstillachanceforservice。Theboyswouldneedhimthere。
CHAPTERX
FRANCE
"France,sunnyFrance!"Thetonecarriedconcentratedbitternessanddisgust。"Onecursedfraudafteranotherinthiswar。"
"Cheerup!"saidBarry。"There’sworsetocome——perhapsbetter。
Thisrainisbeastly,butthecloudswillpass,andthesunwillshineagain,forinspiteoftherainthisIS’sunnyFrance。’
There’salittlehomilyforyou,"saidBarry,"andformyselfaswell,forIassureyouthiscombinationofmaldemerandsleetmakesonefeelrotten。"
"Everythingisrotten,"grumbledDuff,gazinggloomilythroughthedrizzlingrainattheruggedoutlineofwharvesthatmarkedtheBoulognedocks。
"Lookatthis,"criedDuff,sweepinghishandtowardthedeck。
"Youwouldthinkthisstuffwasshotoutoftheblowerofathreshingmachine——soldier’sbaggage,kits,quartermaster’sstores——andthisisamilitaryorganisation。GoodLord!"
"LieutenantDuff!IsLieutenantDuffhere?"ItwastheO。C。’svoice。
"Yes,sir,"saidDuff,goingforwardandsaluting。
"Mr。Duff,IwishyoutotakechargeoftheTransportforthepresent。LieutenantBonnerisquiteuseless——helpless,Imean。
YouwillfindSergeantMackayareliableman。SorryIcouldn’tgiveyoulongernotice。Ithink,however,youarethemanforthejob。"
"I’lldomybest,sir,"saidDuff,saluting,astheO。C。turnedaway。
"WhatdidItellyou,Duff?"saidBarry。"Youcertainlyareinforit,andyouhavemysympathy。"
"Sympathy!Don’tyouworryaboutme,"saidDuff。"ThisisjustthekindofthingIlike。Ihaven’trunagangofnavviesintheCrow’sNestPassfornothing。Youwatchmysmoke。But,oneword,Pilot!Whenyouseemebearingdown,fullsteamahead,givemeroom!I’llmakethisgoorbustsomething。"Theninaburstofconfidence,hetookBarrybythearm,andaddedinalowvoice:
"AndifIlive,Pilot,I’llberunningsomethinginthiswarbiggerthantheTransportofabattalionbeforeI’mdone。"
Barrylethiseyesrunoverthepowerfulfigure,therugged,passionateface,litupnowwithgleamingeyes,andsaid:
"Ibelieveyou,Duff。Meantime,I’llwatchyoursmoke。"
"Do!"repliedDuffwithsuperbself—confidence。AnditwasworthwhileduringthenexthourtowatchDuffevolveorderoutofchaos。
Firstofallheputintohismenandintohissergeantthefearofdeath。Buthedidmorethanthat。Hebreathedintothemsomethingofhisownspiritofinvincibledetermination。Hehadthemspringingathissnappyorderswithaneagernessthatwasinitselfthelargerhalfofobedience,andastheyobeyedtheybecameconsciousthattheywereworkingunderthedirectionofabrainthathadaperfectedplanofaction,andthathelditsdetailsfirmlyinitsgrasp。
NotonlydidDuffshowhimselfamasteroforganisationandcontrol,butinacriticalmomenthehimselfleapedintothebreach,anddidthethingthatbalkedhismen。Didaheavytransportwagonjambatthegangway,holdingupthetraffic,withaspring,Duffwasatthewheel。Aheaveofhismightyshoulders,andthewagonwentroaringdownthegangway。Didahorse,stupidwithterror,fromitsunusualsurroundings,balk,Duffhada"twitch"onitsupperlip,andbeforeitknewwhatawfulthinghadgrippedit,thehorsewasliftedclearoutofitstracks,andwasonitswaytothedock。
Beforehehadclearedtheship,Duffhadacircleofadmirersabouthim,gazingasifatacircus。
"Anenergeticofficeryouhavethere,"saidthebrasshatstandingbesidethecolonel。
"Anewman。Thisishisfirsttimeonthetransport,"repliedthecolonel。
"Quiteremarkable!Quiteremarkable!"exclaimedthebrasshat。
"Thatunloadingmusthavebeendoneinrecordtime,andinspiteofquiteunusualconditions。"
Theboatbeingclearandtheloadsmadeup,DuffapproachedtheCommandingOfficer。
"Allready,sir,"heannounced。"Shallwemoveoff?Ishouldliketogetastart。Theroadswillbealmostimpassable,I’mafraid。"
"Doyouknowtheroute?"askedtheCommandingOfficer。
"Yes,sir,Ihaveithere。"
"Allright,goahead,Duff。Amightygoodpieceofworkyouhavedonethere。"
"Thankyou,sir,"saidDuff,salutingandturningaway。
"Moveoff,there,"heshoutedtotheleadingteam。
Thedriverstartedtheteambuttheyslipped,plungedandfellheavily。Duffwasattheirheadsbeforeanyothermancouldmove。
"Getholdhere,men,"heyelled。"Takeholdofthathorse。Whatareyouafraidof?"hecriedtoagroomwhowasgingerlyapproachingthestrugglinganimal。"Nowthen,alltogether!"
Whenhehadtheteamontheirfeetagain,hesaidtothegroomsstandingattheirheads,"Jumpuponthehorses’backs;thatwillhelpthethemtoholdtheirfooting。"
Therewassomeslighthesitationonthepartofthegrooms。
"Comeon!"heroared,andstridingtothehorsenearesthim,heflunghimselfuponitsback。
Agroommountedtheother,andoncemoreastartwasmade,buttheyhadnotgonemorethanafewsteps,whenthegroom’shorsefellheavily,androlledoveronitsside,pinningtheunfortunatemanbeneathhim。
Therewasashriekofagony。InaninstantDuffwasoffhishorseandattheheadofthefallenanimal。
"Medicalofficerhere!"heshouted。"Nowthen,twoofyoumen。
Oneofyoupulloutthatmanwhilewelift。"
Thehorse’sheadandshoulderswereliftedclear,andtheinjuredmanwaspulledoutofdanger。
"Takehimoutoftheway,please,doctor,"saidDuff,totheM。O。,whowasexaminingthegroom。
"Sergeant!"
Hissergeantliterallysprangtohisside。
"Getmeadozenbags,"hesaid。
"Bags,sir?Idon’tknowwhere——"
"Bags,"repeatedDuffsavagely。"Canvas,anythingtowraparoundthesehorses’feet。"
Thesergeantwithoutfurtherwordsplungedintothedarkness,returningalmostimmediatelywithhalfadozenbags。
"Thanks,sergeant;that’sthewaytomove。Nowgetsomemore!"
UnderDuff’sdirectionsthebagsweretiedaboutthefeetofthehorses,thusenablingthemtoholdtheirfooting,andthetransportmovedoffinthedarkness。
Returningfromthedisposingoftheinjuredman,theM。O。foundBarryshiveringwiththecold,andweakfromhisrecentattackofseasickness。
"Therewillbenoendofasickparadeto—morrowmorning,andyou’llbeoneofthem,"grumbledtheM。O。"Iftheydon’tmovethemoutofheresoonthey’lltakethemawayinambulances。Thereareahundredmenatthismomentfittogotohospital,buttheO。C。won’thearofit。"
"Doc,theyoughttohavesomethinghot。Thekitchensareleftbehind,Iunderstand。Letmehaveacoupleofyourmen,andletmeseewhatIcando。"
"It’snouse,I’vetriedallthehotelsabouthere。They’refullup。"
"Noharmtrying,doc,"saidBarry,andoffhewent。
Buthefoundthehotelsfullup,asthedoctorhadsaid。Aftermuchinquiry,hefoundhiswaytotheY。M。C。A。Acheerfulbutsleepysecretary,halfdeadwiththefatigueofaheavydayministeringtosoldiers"goinguptheline,"couldofferhimnohelpatall。
"Doyoumeantosaythatthereisnoplaceinthistown,"saidBarrydesperately,"whereasickmancangetadishofcoffee?"
"Sickman!"criedthesecretary。"Why,certainly!WhynottrytheR。A。M。C。?They’veahospitalhalfamileupthestreet。Theywillcertainlyhelpyouout。I’llcomewithyou。"
"No,youdon’t,"saidBarry。"Yougobacktobed。I’llfindtheplace。"
Halfamileupthestreet,asthesecretaryhadsaid,BarrycameupontheflaringlanternoftheR。A。M。C。,attheentrancetoahugewarehouse,thegateofwhichstoodwideopen。
Enteringthecourtyard,Barryfoundagroupofmenaboutablazingfire。
"MayIseetheofficerincharge?"heasked,approachingthegroup。
Themenglancedathisrankbadges。
"Yes,sir,"saidasergeant,clickinghisheelssmartly。"CanIdoanythingforyou,sir?"
"Thankyou,"saidBarry,andtoldhimhiswants。
"Wehaveplentyofbiscuits,"saidthesergeant,"andcoffee,too。
Youarewelcometoallyoucancarry,butIdon’tseehowwecandoanymoreforyou。Butwouldyouliketoseetheofficerincharge,sir?"
"Thankyou,"saidBarry,andtogethertheypassedintoanotherroom。
Buttheofficerwasengagedelsewhere。Whiletheywerediscussingthematter,adooropened,andayounggirldressedintheuniformofaV。A。D。(VoluntaryAidDetachment)appeared。
"Whatisit,sergeant?"sheinquired,inasoftbutrathertiredvoice。
Thesergeantexplained,whileshelistenedwithmildinterest。
ThenBarrytookupthetale,andproceededtodilateuponthewretchedconditionofhiscomrades,outintheicyrain。ButhisstorymovedtheV。A。D。notatall。Shehadseentoomuchoftherealmiseryandhorrorsofwar。Barrybegantofeeldiscouraged,andindeedalittleashamedofhimself。
"Yousee,wehavejustcomeover,"hesaidinanapologetictone,"andwedon’tknowmuchaboutwaryet。"
"YouareCanadians?"criedthegirl,anewinterestdawninginhereyes。Asshecameintothelight,Barrynoticedthattheywerebrown,andthattheywereverylustrous。
"IlovetheCanadians,"sheexclaimed。"MybrotherwasaliaisonartilleryofficeratYpres;withthem,atthetimeofthegas,youknow。Helikedthemimmensely。"Hervoicewassoftandsad。
UnconsciouslyBarrylethiseyesfalltotheblackbandonherarm。
"HewaswiththeCanadians,too,whenhewaskilledatArmentieres,threemonthsago。"
"Killed!"exclaimedBarry。"Oh,Iamsosorryforyou。"
"Ihadtwobrothers,"shewenton,inhergentleeventone。"OnewaskilledatLandrecies,ontheretreatfromMons,youknow。"
"No,"saidBarry,"I’mafraidIdon’tknowaboutit。Tellme!"
"Itwasagreatfight,"saidthegirl。"Oh,asplendidfight!"A
ringcameintohervoiceandalittlecolourintohercheek。"Theytriedtorushourmen,buttheycouldn’t。Myoldestbrotherwasthereinchargeofamachinegunsection。Themachinegunsdidwonderfulwork。Thecolonelcametotellusaboutit。Hesaiditwasveryfine。"Therewasnosignoftearsinhereyes,nortremorinhervoice,onlytendernessandpride。
"Andyourmotherisalonenow?"inquiredBarry。
"Oh,wegaveupourhousetothegovernmentforahospital。Yousee,fatherwasinmunitions。He’stoooldforactiveservice,andmotherismatroninthehospital。ShewasveryunwillingthatI
shouldcomeoverhere。ShesaidIwasfartooyoung,butofcoursethat’squitenonsense。Soyousee,weareallinit。"
"Itisperfectlyamazing,"saidBarry。"YouBritishwomenarewonderful!"
Thebrowneyesopenedalittlewider。
"Wonderful?Why,whatelsecouldwedo?ButtheCanadians!I
thinkthey’rewonderful,comingallthiswaytofight。"
"Ican’tseethat,"saidBarry。"That’swhatthatoldnavalboyatDevonportsaid,butIcan’tseethatit’sanythingwonderfulthatweshouldfightforourEmpire。"
"Devonport!Anavalofficer!"Thegirllosthercalm。Shebecameexcited。"Whatwashisname?"
"Ihavehiscardhere,"saidBarry,takingouthispocketbookandhandingherthecard。
"Myuncle!"shecried。"Why,howperfectlysplendid!"offeringBarryherhand。"Why,we’rereallyintroduced。Thenyou’rethemanthatUncleHoward——"Shestoppedabruptly,aflushonhercheek。ThensheturnedtotheN。C。O。"Yes,sergeant,thatwilldo,"asthemanbroughthalfadozenlargebiscuitcansandasmanylargebottlesofpreparedcoffee。
AsBarry’seyesfelluponthebiscuitcansanideacametohim。
"Willthesecansholdwater?"heinquired。
"Yes,sir,"repliedthesergeant。
"Then,we’refixed,"criedBarry,inhighdelight。"Thisisperfectlyfine。"
"Whatdoyoumean?"askedthegirl。
"We’lldumpthebiscuits,andboilthecoffeeinthecans。I
haven’tcampedontheAthabascafornothing。Nowwe’reallrightandIsupposewemustgo。"
TheV。A。D。hesitatedamoment,thenshetookthesergeanttooneside,andenteredintoearnestandpersuasivetalkwithhim。
"It’sagainstregulations,miss,"Barryheardhimsay,"andbesides,youknow,we’reexpectingahospitaltrainanyminute,andeverycarwillbeneeded。"
"ThenI’lltakemyowncar,"shesaid。"It’sallreadyandhasthechainson,sergeant,Ithink。"
"Yes,it’squiteready,butyouwillgetmeintotrouble,miss。"
"Then,I’llgetyououtagain。Loadthosethingsin,whileIrunandchange——I’mgoingtodriveyououttoyourcamp,"shesaidtoBarryasshehurriedaway。
Thesergeantshookhisheadashelookedafterher。
"She’sathoroughbred,sir,"hesaid。"Wejumpwhensheasksusforanything。She’sarealbloodedone;notlikesome,sir——likesomeofthemfullriggedones。Theykeep’er’oppin’。"
"Fullriggedones?"inquiredBarry。
"Themnurses,Imean,sir。Theylovesto’awethem——themyoung’Vaddies,’aswecallthem——V。A。D。,youknow,sir。Theykeeps’ema’oppin’proper——scrubbin’floors,runnin’messages,butMissVincent,shemostlydrivesacar。"
WhilethesergeantwasdilatinguponthevirtuesandexcellencesoftheyoungV。A。D。,hismenranouthercar,andpackedintoitthebiscuittinsandcoffee。Bythetimethesergeantwasreadyshewasback,dressedinachauffeur’suniform。