any officer."

"Undoubtedly," said I.

"Well, sir, I never thought Colonel Boyce was true metal. But I take it
all back--every bit of it."

"For God's sake," I cried, stretching out a foolish but instinctive
hand to the wheel, "for God's sake, control your emotions, or you'll be
landing us in the ditch."

"That's all right, sir," he replied, steering a straight course. "She's
a bit skittish at times. I was saying as how I did the Colonel an
injustice. I'm very sorry. No man who wasn't steel all through ever got
the V.C. They don't chuck it around on blighters."

"That's all very interesting and commendable," said I, "but what has it
to do with Gedge?"

"He has been slandering the Colonel something dreadful the last few
months, sneering at him, saying nothing definite, but insinuatingly
taking away his character."

"In what way?" I asked.

"Well, he tells one man that the Colonel's a drunkard, another that
it's women, another that he gambles and doesn't pay, another that he
pays the newspapers to put in all these things about him, while all the
time in France he's in a blue funk hiding in his dugout."

"That's moonshine," said I. And as regards the drinking, drabbing, and
gaming of course it was. But the suggestion of cowardice gave me a
sharp stab of surprise and dismay.

"I know it is," said Marigold. "But the people hereabouts are so
ignorant, you can make them believe anything." Marigold was a man of
Kent and had a poor opinion of those born and bred in other counties.
"I met Gedge this morning," he continued, and thereupon gave me the
substance of the conversation. I hardly think the adjectives of the
report were those that were really used.

"So your precious Colonel has got the V.C.," sneered Gedge.

"He has," said Marigold. "And it's too great an honour for your
inconsiderable town."

"If this inconsiderable town knew as much about him as I do, it would
give him the order of the precious boot."

"And what do you know?" asked Marigold.

"That's what all you downtrodden slaves of militarism would like to
find out," replied Gedge. "The time will come when I, and such as I,
will tear the veils away and expose them, and say 'These be thy gods, O
Israel.'"

"The time will come," retorted Marigold, "when if you don't hold your
precious jaw, I and such as I will smash it into a thousand pieces. For
twopence I'd knock your ugly head off this present minute."

Whereupon Gedge apparently wilted before