ease!" said Colonel Kendrick. "Now, Jane Emmett, is that man
Sergeant William Brown, of the Rifles?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is he the man who entered Jailpore with nine men and a Rajput, and came
to your assistance?"

"Yes, sir! He's the same man who spoke in the powder-magazine;"

"Do you confirm that?" he asked Brown.

"Under favor, sir, my men must be somewhere, if they're not all killed.
They'll recognize me. And there's the other lot I led all last night and
all today. They'll tell you where they found me!"

"Never mind! I've decided I believe you! D'you realize that you're
something of a marvel?"

"No, sir--except that I've had marvelous luck!"

"Well, I shall take great pleasure in mentioning your name in
despatches. It will go direct, at first hand, to Her Majesty the Queen!
There are few men, let me tell you, Sergeant Brown, who would dare what
you dared in the first place. But, more than that, there are even fewer
men who would leave a sweetheart in some one else's care while they blew
up a powder-magazine with themselves on top of it, in order to make
a breach for the army to come in by! My right hand's out of action
unfortunately--you'll have to shake my left!"

The colonel rose, held his uninjured hand out and Brown shook it, since
he was ordered to.

"I consider it an honor and a privilege to have shaken hands with you,
Sergeant Brown!" said Colonel Kendrick.

"Thank you, sir!" said Brown, taking one step back, and then saluting.
"May I join my regiment, sir?"

He joined his regiment, when he had helped to sort out the bleeding
remnants of it from among the by-ways and back alleys of Jailpore. And
the chaplain married him and Jane Emmett out of hand. He sent her off
at once with her former mistress to the coast, and marched off with his
regiment to Delphi. And at Delphi his name was once more mentioned in
despatches.

When the Mutiny was over, and the country had settled down again to
peace and reincarnation of a nation had begun, Brown found himself
hoisted to a civil appointment that was greater and more highly paid
than anything his modest soul had ever dreamed of.

He never understood the reason for it, although he did his fighting-best
consistently to fill the job; and he never understood why Queen Victoria
should have taken the trouble to write a letter to him in which she
thanked him personally, nor why they should have singled out for praise
and special notice a fellow who had merely done