’But your Mr. Leggatt he had to make and mend tyres all our watch below.  It trarnspired she had been running on the rim o’ two or three wheels, which, very properly, he hadn’t reported till the close of the action.  And that’s the reason of your four new tyres.  Mr. Morshed was of opinion you’d earned ’em.  Do you dissent?’

I stretched out my hand, which Pyecroft crushed to pulp.  ‘No, Pye,’ I said, deeply moved, ‘I agree entirely.  But what happened to Jules?’

’We returned him to his own Navy after breakfast.  He wouldn’t have kept much longer without some one in his own language to tell it to.  I don’t know any man I ever took more compassion on than Jules.  ’Is sufferings swelled him up centimetres, and all he could do on the Hard was to kiss Lootenant Morshed and me, and your Mr. Leggatt.  He deserved that much.  A cordial beggar.’

Pyecroft looked at the washed cups on the table, and the low sunshine on my car’s back in the yard.

‘Too early to drink to him,’ he said.  ‘But I feel it just the same.’

The uncle, sunk in his chair, snored a little; the canary answered with a shrill lullaby.  Pyecroft picked up the duster, threw it over the cage, put his finger to his lips, and we tiptoed out into the shop, while Leggatt brought the car round.

‘I’ll look out for the news in the papers,’ I said, as I got in.

‘Oh, we short-circuited that!  Nothing trarnspired excep’ a statement to the effect that some Territorial battalions had played about with turnips at the conclusion of the manoeuvres The taxpayer don’t know all he gets for his money.  Farewell!’

We moved off just in time to be blocked by a regiment coming towards the station to entrain for London.

‘Beg your pardon, sir,’ said a sergeant in charge of the baggage, ’but would you mind backin’ a bit till we get the waggons past?’

‘Certainly,’ I said.  ’You don’t happen to have a rocking-horse among your kit, do you?’

The rattle of our reverse drowned his answer, but I saw his eyes.  One of them was blackish-green, about four days old.

THE LEGEND OF MIRTH

     The Four Archangels, so the legends tell,
     Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, Azrael,
     Being first of those to whom the Power was shown,
     Stood first of all the Host before The Throne,
     And when the Charges were allotted burst
     Tumultuous-winged from out the assembly first. 
     Zeal was their spur that bade them strictly heed
     Their own high judgment on their lightest deed. 
     Zeal was their spur that, when relief was given,
     Urged them unwearied to fresh toil in Heaven;
     For Honour’s sake perfecting every task
     Beyond what e’en Perfection’s self could ask.... 
     And Allah, Who created Zeal and Pride,
     Knows how the twain are perilous-near allied.