The next morning before breakfast, Teddy ran off to tell Nancy, and to show her the long-lost treasure.  She was quite as delighted as he was, but said, a few minutes after, ’Button-boy, do you remember telling me you couldn’t live without your-button?  You said you’d pine away and die.’

’Yes, I thought I should; but as soon as I began to pray about it I knew it was coming back, and so I got better.’

‘Well,’ said Nancy with a sigh, ’I won’t ever try to get your button again; but if you were to die before me, I wonder if you would let me have it then?  I would take great care of it.’

‘I meant it to be buried with me,’ said Teddy, considering, ’but I don’t mind altering my mind about it, and if you promise not to give it to any one else, I will let you have it.’

‘I promise truly,’ vowed Nancy, ’and I told you I wouldn’t love you till you gave it to me, but I will now, because I’m trying to be good!’

’And we’ll always remember that soldiers and sailors are just as good as each other—­they’re quite even!’

‘Yes,’ nodded Nancy; ’sailors and soldiers are quite even, and my father is just as good as your father was!’

Teddy looked a little bit doubtful at this, but wisely refrained from making any objection to the assertion; and then they parted, Nancy calling out after him,—­

‘And when you die, and I get the button, I shall wear it as a brooch!’

‘Mother,’ said Teddy, a few days after this, as she was paying him her usual ‘good-night’ visit, ’it’s a very funny thing; but do you know, I used to wish for an enemy so much, to fight and carry on with, and now I’ve got one, and have Ipse to fight with, I’m getting rather tired of him.  Is that wicked?  I asked Mr. Upton to-day if I couldn’t ever get rid of Ipse—­I mean when I am grown up, but he said I never should altogether, but that I could keep him well under, so that he wouldn’t trouble me so.  He does trouble me a lot now’

’Soldiers must never get tired of fighting, sonny, and you have your Captain to help you.’

’Yes; and I suppose when I get bigger and stronger it will be much easier, won’t it?  Mother, do you have any fighting?  Have you got an enemy like me?’

‘Yes, indeed I have, my boy.’

‘But you’re never beaten, are you?  You never do anything wrong!’

‘I don’t get into mischief, and disobey orders, perhaps,’ Mrs. John said, smiling; ’but I have lots of difficulties and temptations that you know little about, sonny, and I am afraid I very often get beaten by the enemy.’

Teddy pondered over this.  ’When I get to heaven I shan’t have to fight with Ipse, shall I?’

‘No, darling; there will be no fighting with sin there.’

Teddy smiled.  ’Perhaps my Captain will think I’ve been nearly as brave as father if I fight Ipse hard till I die.’

’There is a verse in the Bible that says, “He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.”  Mother would rather have her little son fight God’s battles than be the bravest soldier in the Queen’s army.’