"Thiswon’tdo,"saidtheO。C。abruptly。"GetDunbaroverhere。"
"Dunbar,"saidtheO。C。whenBarryhadcometohim。"Thisthingisasdullasditchwater。Iwanttogettheboysstartedupabit。
Theyarehopelesslydull。Lookattheireyes。Doyouknowwhattheyareseeing?"
"Yes,sir,"saidBarry,"theyareseeingwhattheyhavebeenlookingatforthelastthirteendays。"
"Youareright,Dunbar,andthat’swhatIwantthemtoforget。NowIknowyoudon’tfeelveryfit,andIhatetoaskyou,butI
believeyoucandosomethingforthemenwiththatviolinofyours。
Whatdoyousay?"
"Ihavealreadysentamanforit,"saidMajorBayne。"Iknewhe’ddoit,andhisviolinliesthereunderthepiano。"
WithoutannouncementorprefaceBarrywalkedstraighttothestagewhereColeman,havingmiserablyfailedtostrikefirewith"TheTulipandtheRose,"wasgrindingout,withgreatdiligenceandconscientiousenergy,"IrishEyes。"Barrypickeduphisviolinfromthefloor,mountedthestage,laidhisviolinonthepiano,thenhetookhisplacebehindthepianistand,bendingoverhim,reacheddown,caughthimunderthelegsandwhilestillinfulltideofhisperformance,liftedhimsquarelyoffthestoolanddepositedhimuponachairatonesideofthestage。Then,ignoringtheamazedlookuponColeman’sface,heproceededgravelytotunehisviolintothepiano。Theactitself,thecoolneatnesswithwhichitwasperformed,theastonishedfaceoftheoutragedpianist,alltogethercreatedasituationexcessivelyfunny。Theeffectupontheaudiencewasfirstoneofsurprise,thenofunalloyeddelight。Immediatelyeverymaninthehallwaswideawake,andasthehumourofthesituationgrewuponthem,theybegantocheerinquitealivelymanner。
WhenBarryputhisviolintohischintheycheeredagain,foroftenhadhebewitchedthemwiththemagicofhisinstrument。
Beforehebegantoplay,heglancedoverhisshoulderatthediscomfitedColemanandremarkedinanundertone,perfectlyaudiblethroughoutthehall,"Nowwe’llhavesomemusic。"
Againtheaudiencewentoffinaperfectstormofdelightedcheers,whichwererenewedfromtimetotimeasBarrywouldturnlookingwithagravefaceuponthestillamazedColeman,notyetquiterecoveredfromhisfirstastonishment。
Whenquietwasfinallyrestored,Barrybegantoplay。Forhisopeningnumberhemadeadaringchoice。ItwastheintricatebutaltogethertunefulBalladeandPolonaisebyVieuxtemps。Throughoutthesomewhatlengthynumberheheldhisaudiencefixedunderthemasteryofhisart。Itwasatriumphimmediateandcomplete。WhenhehadfinishedthelastbrilliantmovementofthePolonaise,themenburstagainintoenthusiasticcheering,movednotonlybythemusicbutmorebythespiritoftheirchaplain,whichtheycouldnotfailtounderstandandappreciate。
HehadalreadyachievedwhattheO。C。haddesired,buthewasnotyetdonewiththem。Havingfinishedhisclassicalselection,whichhewasquitewellawareColemancouldnottouch,heturnedtothelatterandgravelymotionedhimtothepianostool。Colemanhesitated,notknowingquitewhatwouldbedemandedofhim。
"Comeon,Coleman,beasport,"shoutedayoungofficer,theaudiencejoiningoncemoreinencouragingcheers。
StillColemanhesitated。Oneneverknewjustwhatvagarythechaplainmightputon。Failingtomovehimbyimploringgesture,Barryfinallyapproachedhim,andwithelaborate,courteousformality,offeredhimhishand,andfinallyconductedhimtothepianostool。Againthedelightedaudiencewentintoaroarofcheers。
Fromthatmoment,andforafullhour,Barryhadthemathiswill,nowlisteningspellboundtosomesimpleoldheartsong,nowbeatinghandandfoottoareel,nowroaringtothelimitoftheirlungpowersomeoldandwell—lovedpopularair。
"Ain’theabird?"saidthemajortotheCommandingOfficer。
"He’sfine,"assentedtheCommandingOfficerwithagreatsigh。"I
can’ttellyouwhataburdenhehasliftedfromme。It’sworthaweek’sresttothemen,and,poorchaps,theyneedit。"Loweringhisvoice,heleanedovertothemajorandsaid,"Wemaybegoingupagainto—morrownight。"
"To—morrownight,colonel!"exclaimedthemajor,aghast。
"Notaword,butIhaveexceedinglygravenews。Thefrontlineisdrivenin。Oneofthebattalionsholdingiscompletelywipedout。"
"Wipedout?GoodGod,andwherearetheenemy?"
"AsfarasIcanhear,althoughIhaven’ttheparticulars,theyhavebrokenthroughfromHoogetoHill60,arethroughSanctuaryWood,anddowntoMapleCopse。Tworeliefbattalionshavegoneupandareholding。Thechancesareweshallhavetogotobackthemupto—morrowevening。It’shardontheboys,fortheyhavecomethroughalongandbitterexperience,butnotawordofthis,major,toanyone。Weshallletthemhavetheirrestto—night。
That’swhyIwassoanxiousaboutthisentertainment。That’swhyI
amparticularlygratefultothatPilotofours。Heisawonder,andbythelookofhimheisaboutallin。Heisstayingmagnificentlywiththegame。Andnow,major,Iamgoingtodosomethingthatwillpleasehimimmensely。AtleastIthinkitwill。"
Atapauseinthemusic,theO。C。aroseandmovedtowardthestage。Barryatoncesteppedbacktotherear。Standingbeforethemen,theO。C。spokebriefly:
"Iwishtothankinyourname,men,ourchaplain,andhisassistant,Mr。Coleman,fortheverydelightfuleveningtheyhavegivenus。I
knowhowyoufeelbythewayIfeelmyself。Ineedsaynomore,andnow,seeingthatwehavemissedourparadeserviceforthelasttwoSundays,andasIshouldnotlikethechaplaintobecomerustyinhisduty,I’mgoingtoaskhimtobringourverypleasanteveningtoaclosewithalittleservicesuchashehimselfwouldsuggest。"
Hardlywerethewordsoutofhismouth,whenBarrytookuphisviolinandsaid:
"Boys,didyouhaveagoodtimeto—night?"
"Yes,sir;youbetwehad,sir。"
"Well,then,ifyouhad,singthis,"andrecitedforthemthefirstversesoftheoldhymn,"Abidewithme,fastfallstheeventide。"
Whentheyhadsungthefirstverse,hesaidagain:
"Nowsingthesewords,"andoncemoreherecitedthestirringverse:
"Ifearnofoe,withTheeathandtobless。"
Whentheyhadfinishedtheverse,hesaidtothem"Shallwehaveanother?"
"Goon,sir!"theysaid。"Surething!""Finishitup!"
"Then,"saidBarry,"singthesewords":
"IneedThypresenceeverypassinghour,WhatbutThygracecanfoilthetempter’spower。"
Thenwhenhehadfinishedtheverse,hedroppedtheviolinand,movingtotheedgeoftheplatform,said,inavoicevibrantwithemotion:
"Don’tsingthesewords,butsaythemasIplaythemforyou。"
Hethenrecitedthemovingwordswithwhichtheoldhymncloses:
"HoldThouThycrossbeforemyclosingeyes;
Shinethroughthegloomandpointmetotheskies;
Heaven’smorningbreaks,andearth’svainshadowsflee,Inlife,indeath,OLord,abidewithme。"
"IwanteveryoneofyoutosaythewordstohimselfasIplaythem。"
Inlong—drawn,tremulousnoteshevoicedthebeautifulpleaforaidinthehourofman’ssupremeneed,whichfindsexpressioninthefirsttwolines。Then,withhisbowgrippingthestringsinagreatsweepingcrescendo,hepouredforthinfullstrongchordsthetriumphantfaithwithwhichthehymncloses。
Helaidhisviolinonthepiano,stoodquiteafewmomentslookinguponthem,thensaid:
"Men,listentothesegreatwords。Theymighthavebeenwrittenforus,andforthesedays;"andherecitedtothemthewordsoftheHebrewpsalm,eloquentofcourageinthefaceofacrumblingworld:
"Godisourrefugeandstrength,averypresenthelpintrouble。
Thereforewillnotwefear,thoughtheearthberemoved,andthoughthemountainsbecarriedintothemidstofthesea。
Thoughthewatersthereofroarandbetroubled,thoughthemountainsshakewiththeswellingthereof。Selah。
Thereisariver,thestreamswhereofshallmakegladthecityofGod,theholyplaceofthetabernaclesoftheMostHigh。
Godisinthemidstofher;sheshallnotbemoved。Godshallhelpherandthatrightearly。
Theheathenraged,thekingdomsweremoved;heutteredhisvoice,theearthmelted。
TheLordofhostsiswithus;theGodofJacobisourrefuge。
Selah。
Come,beholdthewordsoftheLord,whatdesolationshehathmadeintheearth。
Hemakethwarstoceaseuntotheendoftheearth;hebreakeththebow,andcutteththespearinsunder:heburneththechariotinthefire。
BestillandknowthatIamGod;Iwillbeexaltedamongtheheathen,Iwillbeexaltedintheearth。
TheLordofhostsiswithus;theGodofJacobisourrefuge。"
ThentheyfollowedhimintheGeneralConfession,andtheLord’sprayer。
"CaptainDunbar,"saidtheO。C。,offeringhimhishand,"youhavedoneforusto—nightagreaterthingthanyouknowjustnow。Youwillunderstandbettertomorrow。WithallmyheartIthankyouonthemen’sbehalfandonmyownbehalf,forIassureyouIneededitasmuchastheydid。Iwanttoassureyou,too,sir,thatI
receivedto—nightthethingIneeded。"
"Thankyou,sir,"saidBarrysimply,toowearytoutteranotherword,andstaggeredout,halfdeadwithexhaustion。
Halfanhourlater,ashewasleisurelyundressing,anddrinkingthecupofcocoawhichMonroehadpreparedforhim,amessagesummonedhimtotheorderlyroom。TherehefoundColonelLeightonwithMajorBayneandthecompanycommanders。
"Ihaveacommunicationhereforyou,CaptainDunbar,"saidtheO。C。,"fromyourD。A。C。S。,"andhepassedhimalittleslip。
Itwastheannouncementofhis"leave。"
"Well,whatdoyouthinkofthat?"saidtheO。C。"Howdoesthatsuityou?"
"Well,sir,"saidBarry,uncertaintyandhesitationinhisvoice,"I’dliketheleave,allright,butcanIconvenientlybesparedjustnow?"
"Mostcertainly,"saidtheO。C。,"and,what’smore,Iwantyoutogoto—night。Canyougetready?"
"Isupposeso,sir,"saidBarry,wearily。
"ByJove!listentohim,"saidtheO。C。"Hehatestoleaveus,doesn’the?"Andtheyalllaughed。"Now,Dunbar,"hesaid,"nomoreposing。Youcatchtheleavetrainto—nightatPoperinghe。Asamatteroffact,Ithinkitstartssomewhereabouttwelve。"
"Thankyou,sir,"saidBarry。"IthinkIcancatchit。"
"Thengoodluck!"saidtheO。C。,risingfromhischair。"Everyoneofusherewouldliketobeinyourplace,butsinceitisn’thimself,everymanisgladthatitshouldbeyou。"
StillBarryhesitated。
"Ireallyhatetoleaveyou,sir,justnow,"hesaid。"Imeanthat,"headdedwithalittlenervouslaugh。
"Oh,comeon,Dunbar,"saidtheO。C。inavoicewhosegruffnessmightsignifyalmostanyemotion,butwithatouchuponhisshoulderthatBarryknewmeantcomradeship。"Saygood—byetotheboyshere,andgetout。"
Theyhadjustfinishedtheplanforthecampaignofthenextnight,andeverymaninthatlittlecompanyknewthatforhimthismightbehislast"Good—bye"tothechaplain。ItonlyaddedtothedepthoftheirfeelingthattheyknewthatofallthisBarrywasunconscious。But,whetheritwasthatunconsciouslyhehadgatheredsomethingoftherealsignificanceofthesituation,orwhetheritwasthathehimselfhadreachedthelimitofemotionalcontrol,ashepassedfrommantoman,shakinghandsinfarewell,hislipsrefusedtoutterasingleword,butinhiseyeswereunshedtearsthatspokeforhim。
MajorBaynefollowedhimtothedoor,andoutside:
"TakemyhorseandMonroewithyou,andgood—bye,oldman。Allsortsofgoodluck。Rememberthatweallfeelto—nightthatyouarereallyoneofus,andthatwearebettermenbecausewehaveknownyou。Goodbye。"
AgainBarrywasconsciousofthatstrangesuggestion,almostofimpendingcalamity。
"Ihatetogo,major,"hesaid。"IbelieveI’llwait。"
"Nonsense,"saidthemajorimpatiently。"Takeyourleavewhenyougetyourchance,andhaveagoodtime。Youhaveearnedit。"
CHAPTERXVI
THEPASSINGOFMcCUAIG
AtPoperinghetheleavetrainwaswaitinginthestation,andalittlecompanyofofficersandmenwerehavingtheirpapersexaminedpreparatorytotheirsecuringtransportation。SomeoftheofficerswerefromhisownbrigadeandwereknowntoBarry。
"Abigpushonatthefront,Ihear,"saidoneofthemtoafriend。
"Yes,major,"saidhisfriend。"Theyhavebeenhavingaperfecthellofatime。"
"Bytheway,yourmenaregoinginto—morrow,Iunderstand,"saidthemajor,turningtoBarry。
"Idon’tthinkso,major,"repliedBarry。"Wehavejustcomeout。"
"Oh,well,Ihaditfromfairlygoodauthoritythattheyweregoinginto—morrownight。"
BarryhuntedupMonroe,whomhefoundtalkingtoasignallerofthebattalion。
"Didyouboyshearanythingaboutthebattaliongoingupto—morrow?"
"Yes,sir,"saidthesignallerpromptly。"Wehaditoverthewires。Theyaregoingin,allright,to—morrownight。"
Monroekickedthesignallerontheankle。
"Didyouhearanythingaboutit,Monroe?"enquiredBarry。
"No,sir。Idon’tbelievetheserumoursatall。Theyarealwaysflyingabout。"
"Butyousayyougotitoverthewires?"saidBarrytothesignaller。
"Yes,sir。Thatis,sir,ofcourse,wegetalotofmessages。
PerhapsI’mmixedup,"saidthesignallerinveryevidentconfusion。
"Andyouhaven’theardanything,Monroe?"saidBarry。
"No,sir,notathing,andIthinkIwouldhaveheardiftherehadbeenanytruthinit。"
SomethinginthechildlikeexpressionofinnocenceuponMonroe’sfacewakenedBarry’ssuspicion。
"Lookhere,Monroe,"hesaid,"don’tlietome。Now,I’mtalkingtoyouasyourchaplain。Tellmethetruth。Haveyouheardofthebattaliongoinginto—morrow?"
UnderBarry’seyeMonroebegantosquirm。
"Well,sir,totellyouthetruth,Ididheararumourofthatkind。"
"Andyou?"saidBarry,turninguponthesignaller,"tellmethetruth。"
"Well,sir,it’sjustasIsaid。Wehaditoverthewires。Thebattalionisgoingin。"
"Verywell,getmystuff,Monroe,"saidBarry,quietly。"I’mgoingback。"
"Ibegyourpardon,sir。"
"Doyouhearme?Getmystuff;I’mnotgoingoutto—night。"
Barry’stoneadmittednofurthertalk,andMonroe,swearingdeeplyathisfriendthesignallerandathisownstupidity,andespeciallyathisown"lackofnervetoseehisliethrough,"
huntedoutBarry’sbaggageandstoodreadyforhisofficertoreturn。
"Hello,Dunbar,"saidthemajor,ashesawBarryabouttomounthishorse。"What’sup?Forgottensomething?You’llsurelymissyourtrain。"
"I’mnotgoing,"saidBarrybriefly,gettinghimselfsettledinhissaddle。
"Notgoing!"exclaimedthemajor。"Whatdoyoumean?Ithoughtyouwereonleave。"
"Changedmymind,"saidBarrycheerfully。
"Isay,oldman,"saidthemajor,"theremaybenothinginwhatI
toldyouaboutthepush。Anyway,youknowwecannotpostponeourleaveuntilallthefightingisover。"
"Oh,that’sallright,"repliedBarry。"Therearelotsofyoucombatantchapsinabattalion,butthereisonlyonechaplain。"
"Oh,hangitall,"criedthemajor,"takeyourleave。Well,"
seeingthatBarrypaidnoheedtohisadvice,"thebestofluck,oldman,"hesaid,offeringhishand。"Iguessyou’reallrightafterall。"
TheexhilarationthathadsustainedBarryduringtheeveningsuddenlyfled,leavinghimflatinspiritandlimpinbody。Whathewantedmostofallwassleep,andmorningwasnotsofaraway。
Herodebacktohishut,and,biddingMonroelethimsleepallday,hetumbledintobedandknewnothinguntillateintheafternoon。
Monroe,too,hadsleptin,and,afterrising,hadbeenbusyaboutthehut,sothathehadnofurtherinformationastothebattalion’smovements。Thechaplain’shutwassomedistancefromHeadquartersandfromthebattalioncamp。HenceitcamethatwhileBarrywaswritinghardathislettersthroughouttheremainderoftheafternoon,hewasquiteunawareofwhatwastakingplace。Monroe,however,returnedaboutsixo’clocktosaythatthebattalionhadbeen"standingto"allafternoon,butthatthegeneralfeelingwasthattherewouldbenoadvanceuntillateatnight。
Gladoftheopportunitytocatchupwithhiscorrespondence,Barrypaidlittleheedtothepassingoftime。HislastletterwastotheV。A。D。,inwhichhepouredoutthebitternessofhisdisappointmentthathewasnotevennowonhiswaytoBoulogneandtoher,andexpressingthehopethatafterthis"show"wasover,hewouldbegrantedleave,uponwhichhappyeventhewouldwithallspeedproceedtoher。ShehadbeenspeakingofatriptoEngland。
Woulditnotbeaverywiseandproperproceedingthatsheshouldmakeherleavetosynchronisewithhis?Nowhemustbeoff,andsowithlovetoher,andwiththehopethattheymightseeLondontogether——
JustthenMonroecamewiththestartlingnewsthatthebattalionhad"movedup"hoursago。
"Whichroad?"enquiredBarry,springingtohisfeet。
"Don’tknow,sir,"repliedMonroe,whohadevidentlyhisownopinionaboutmatters。"ButImetapadre,"hecontinued,"whotoldmethattherewasastreamofwoundedpassingthroughtheBrandhoekClearingStation。Hesaidtheywereveryshort—handedthere,sir,"andMonroeregardedhisofficerwithanxiouseyes。
"Ihatetotakeyouupthere,Monroe,"saidBarrywithasmile。
"Oh,that’sallright,sir,"saidMonroe,hastily,"butIguesswe’llhavetohurry。"
"Iremember,Monroe,thatyourmajorandyouwouldhavesentmeoutofthis,butyouknowwellenoughthatthere’sonlyoneplaceformeto—night,andthequestionis,whereisthebattalion——YpresBarracks,ChateauBeige,Zillebeck,orwhere?"
"Ienquiredatthetransports,sir,"saidMonroe,"andnooneappearedtoknow。Theymovedoutquietlyandleftnowordbehind。"
"Allright,we’llgouptoChateauBelge,andiftheyarenotthere,we’llmakeashotatZillebeck,"saidBarry。"We’llgorightaway。Wedon’tneedalotoftruckthistrip。"
Itwasalongandtiresomemarch,butBarryfoundhimselfremarkablyfit,andalreadyundertheexhilarationofwhatwasbeforehim。AttheChateauBelgetheyfoundnowordoftheirbattalion,buttheywereinformedthattheshellingontheKruisstraatroadhadbeenbadallafternoon,andwasstillgoingon。TheBocheswerepayingparticularattentionindeedtothecrossroads。
"Allright,"saidBarry。"We’llgoupandhavealookatit,anyway。"
AhundredyardsfurtheruptheroadtheywereheldupbyasuddenburstofH。E。shells,whichfellinnearproximitytothecrossroadsbeforethem。
"Well,we’lljustwaithereafewminutesuntilwecantimethesethings,"saidBarry,sittingdownbytheroadside。
Astheywerewaitingthere,threesoldierspassedthematquickmarch。
"Betterwait,boys,"calledBarry;"theyaredroppingquiteafewshellsatthecrossroads。"
"Wearerunners,sir,"saidoneofthem。"Iguesswe’lljusttakeachance,thankyou,sir。"
"Allright,boys,ifyouthinkbest,"repliedBarry。"Goodluck!"
"Thankyou,sir,"theysaid,andsetoffatasmartpace。
WhileBarrysatlisteningtothesoundoftheirfootstepsuponthepavement,therecamethatterrificwhine,followedbyanappallingcrash,asaH。E。shelllandedfullupontheroad。Barrysprangtohisfeet。Threeothershellsfollowedinquicksuccession,thentherecamethesoundofhurryingfeetandamanappeared,bleedinghorriblyandgasping。
"Oh,myGod!MyGod!Theyaregone!Theyaregone!"
"Sitdown,"saidBarry。"Now,where’syourwound?"
"Myarm,sir,"saidtheman。
Barrycutofftheblood—soakedsleeve,rippedopenhisfirstaiddressing,andboundthewounduptightly。Thenheputatourniquetuponthearmabovethewound。
"Theotherboyskilled,yousay?"heinquired。
"Yes,sir,blowntopieces。Oh,myGod!"hegroaned,shuddering。
"Mychum’swholeheadwasblownoff,andtheotherhashisbellyalltornup。"
"Nowlookhere,oldman,"saidBarry,"youliedownherewhereyouare,andkeepperfectlystill,"forthemanwasthrowinghimselfabout,morefromshockthanfrompain。"We’llgetyoutothedressingstationinafewminutes。Monroe,runandgetthestretcherbearers,andI’llgoandseehowthingsareupyonder。"
Hethrewhiscoatoverthewoundedman,andsetoffataruntowardthecrossroads。Hefoundmattersasthemanhadsaid,thetwobodieslyinginadarkpatchofbloodsoakeddust,onewithheadquiteblownoff,andtheotherwithabdomenhorriblytorn。
Hehurriedbacktothewoundedman,whohadrecoveredsomewhatfromhisshockandwasnowlyingonhissidequietlymoaning。Barrygotfromhimthenamesandunitsofthemenwhohadbeenkilled。
"Iwilldropanotetoyourmother,too,myboy,"hesaid,"andtellheraboutyourwound。"
"Oh,sir,"saidtheboyquickly——hewasonlyaboyafterall——
"don’ttellher——atleast,tellherI’mallright。I’llbeallright,won’tI?"
"Surething,"saidBarry,"don’tyoufear。Iwon’talarmher,andI’lltellherwhatgoodstuffyouare,boy。"
"Allright,sir。Thankyou,sir,"saidtheboyquietly。
"AndI’lltellher,too,thatyouarenotworryingabit,andthatyouknowthatyouareinthekeepingofyourHeavenlyFather。Howisthat?"
"Yes,sir,"saidtheboyinalowvoice。"Iwillbegladtohaveyoutellherthat。Shetaughtmeallthat,sir。Poormother,she’llworrythough,Iknow,"headdedwithalittlecatchinhisthroat。
"Nowyoubraceup,"saidBarryfirmly。"Youhavegotoffmightywell。Youhavegotanicelittleblightythere,andyouaregoingtobeallright。I’llgiveyourmotherthebestreportaboutyou,sothatshewon’tworry。"
"Oh,thankyou,"saidtheboy,withferventgratitude,"thatwillbefine。Andyouareright,"headded,anoteofresolutioncomingintohisvoice。"Igotoffmightywell,andit’sonlymyleftarm,thankgoodness。I’llbraceup,sir,neverfear,"headdedbetweenhisteeth,chokingbackagroan。
Barryaccompaniedthestretcher—bearerbacktothechateauandgavethemanoverintothecareoftheC。A。M。C。
"Canyouputasquadontodiggingagrave?"heinquiredoftheofficerincharge。"Ifso,thoughI’minanawfulhurry,I’llstaytoburythosepoorchaps。"
"Surething,wecan,"saidtheofficer。"We’lldotheverybestwecantohurryit。"
InaboutanhourandahalfBarrywasonhiswayagain。Hedodgedtheshellingatthecrossroads,andfollowingatrackacrosstheopenfields,arrivedattheZillebeckBundwithoutadventure。
Heretohisreliefhefoundthebattalion。HemadehiswayatoncetoHeadquarters,andwalkedinuponameetingofofficers。
"Well,I’m——"exclaimedColonelLeighton,checkinghimselfhard,"whohavewehere!Whatinhellareyoudoinghere,Pilot?I
thoughtyouwouldbesafelyinoldBlightybythistime,"headded,shakinghimwarmlybythehand。
"Oh,youcouldn’tworkthatgameonme,colonel,"saidBarrycheerily,goingroundthegroupofmen,whogavehimaneagerwelcome。"Youthoughtyouhadshippedmeoff,justasthefunwasstarting,butIgotontoyou。"
"Well,I’llbedarned,"saidMajorBayne。"Howdidyoufindout?"
Barrytoldhim,adding,"Youwillhavetotrainyourmantoliemorecheerfully。"
"That’swhatcomesofaman’senvironment,"saidthemajor,disgustedly。"Iwasalwaystootruthful,anyway。"
"Well,sir,"saidBarry,turningtothecolonel。"I’mawfullygladtofindyouhere。IwasafraidI’dlostyou。"