‘Here, youngster,’ said one of the older men, holding out his pewter pot to him, ‘take a drink like a man; you deserve it!’

‘No, thank you,’ the boy said; ‘I never drink beer.’

Then, as an oldish-looking soldier, with a heavy moustache already tinged with grey, came up to him, Teddy turned to him in delight.

[Illustration:  ‘Are you bouncer?’]

‘Are you Bouncer?’

‘That’s what I’m called.’  The man’s face was an unhappy one, and he seemed to be the butt of his comrades, for they poured forth such a volley of good-natured ridicule on his appearance that Teddy looked from one to the other in complete mystification.

‘Will you come and see my home?’ the child asked softly.  ’Corporal Saxby told me he thought you would like to come.’

The man’s face lightened.  ’Ay, that I will, if it ain’t fur off; my legs are that stiff and sore.  I don’t want much walking.’

‘It isn’t very far.’  Then, as they moved off together, Teddy slipped his little hand confidingly into the big one near him, and continued, ’Do you know there’s going to be a splendid tea for you all in our schoolroom to-night—­have you heard?’

’Ay; the parson was round an hour ago giving out tickets.  There’s little to be done in a place like this, and we’re too tired to tramp into the town; so I expect there’ll be a tidy few.’

’The corporal came to tea at our house the other night.  He’s a friend of yours, isn’t he?’

‘The best friend I’ve got,’ was the hearty answer.  ’Ay, lad, there’s few of his sort in the Army; for one that tries to help us on a bit there’s ten that tries to drag us down!’

‘I suppose,’ said Teddy dreamily, ’that, after all, the Queen’s army isn’t so nice to be in as the army I belong to?  Does your captain help you when you’re in trouble?’

‘He helps us to pack-drill, or C. B., or cells!’ replied Tim Stokes with grim humour.

This needed to be explained to Teddy, who went on after it was made clear to him:  ’Ah! my Captain always helps me.  Mr. Upton says when I do wicked things and get beaten by the enemy, I must call out to my Captain, and He will come at once and help me.’

’I reckon I’ve heard tell of your Captain, then, for that fellow Saxby is always dinning it into me; but I can’t come to religion nohow—­I can’t make head or tail of it.  I tell you, youngster, I’ve been having an awful time lately, and I can’t keep to it.  I’m certain sure the drink will do for me again.  I can’t keep away from it much longer, and this march’ll see the end of my teetotal ways, I’m thinking.’

‘And won’t my Captain help you?’

‘I’m not a hand at prayers and psalm-singing.’

’I wish you’d talk to Mr. Upton; he made me enlist a short time ago, and I’ve been ever so much happier since I did it.’