ake a remark or two--and then silence.

Frank had not slept for half an hour; he was thinking, with some
depression, of the dreary affair into which he had been initiated, of
the Major, and of Gertie, for whom he was beginning to be sorry. He did
not suppose that the man actually bullied her; probably he had done this
sufficiently for the present--she was certainly very quiet and
subdued--or perhaps she really admired him, and thought it rather
magnificent to travel about with an ex-officer. Anyhow, it was rather
deplorable....

* * * * *

When he awoke next morning, the depression was on him still; and it was
not lifted by the apparition of Gertie on which he opened his eyes from
his corner, in an amazingly dirty petticoat, bare-armed, with her hair
in a thick untidy pig-tail, trying to blow the fire into warmth again.

Frank jumped up--he was in his trousers and shirt.

"Let me do that," he said.

"I'll do it," said Gertie passionlessly.

* * * * *

The Major came down ten minutes later, considerably the worse for his
night's rest. Yesterday he had had a day's beard on him; to-day he had
two, and there was a silvery sort of growth in the stubble that made it
look wet. His eyes, too, were red and sunken, and he began almost
instantly to talk about a drink. Frank stood it for a few minutes, then
he understood and capitulated.

"I'll stand you one," he said, "if you'll get me two packets of
Cinderellas."

"What's the good of that?" said the Major. "Pubs aren't open yet. It's
only just gone five."

"You'll have to wait, then," said Frank shortly.

Presently the Major did begin to bully Gertie. He asked her what the
devil was the good of her if she couldn't make a fire burn better than
that. He elbowed her out of the way and set to work at it himself. She
said nothing at all. Yet there was not the faintest use in Frank's
interfering, and, indeed, there was nothing to interfere in.

Food, too, this morning, seemed disgusting; and again Frank learned the
difference between a kind of game played by oneself and a reality in
which two others joined. There had been something almost pleasing about
unrolling the food wrapped up at supper on the previous night, and
eating it, with or without cooking, all alone; but there was something
astonishingly unpleasant in observing sardines that were now common
property lying in greasy newspaper, a lump of bread fr