the gate, five o'clock sounded from the garrison bell, and
at the first stroke of it he saw Sergeant Archelaus drive his spade
into the soil, draw the back of his wrist across his forehead, and walk
towards the veronica hedge for his tunic.

"Archelaus!"

"Sir!"

"I have been thinking over those trousers--" began the Commandant,
picking his way between the briers that threatened to choke the path.

"And so have I," said Sergeant Archelaus; "and the upshot is, Do you
spell 'em with a 'u' or a 'w'?"

"Now you mention it, I don't feel able to answer you off-hand; not
without writing it down," said the Commandant. "But what on earth does
it matter?"

"Nothin'--except that I was thinkin' to write him a letter, to thank
him."

"For Heaven's sake--" the Commandant began, and checked himself. "I
wouldn't do that, if I were you. In fact, I've been thinking the matter
over, and it occurs to me that I have an old pair of dress trousers
that might serve your turn; that is to say, if you could manage to
unpick the red stripe off your old ones and get someone to sew it on.
They are black, to be sure; but the difference between black and dark
blue is not so very noticeable. And the cut of them inclines to the
peg-top, that being the fashionable shape when I bought them--let me
see--in fifty-seven, I think it was."

"I know 'em," said Sergeant Archelaus. "They were sound enough two
months back, when I sprinkled 'em over with camphor, against the moth."

"I think they will do excellently."

"They'll do, fast enough," Sergeant Archelaus asserted; "though it
seems like deprivin' you."

"Not at all, Archelaus; not in the least. Why, I haven't put on evening
dress half a dozen times since I came to the Islands."

"And that's a long time, to be sure, sir. But one never knows. The Lord
Proprietor might take it into his head, one o' these days, to invite
you to dinner."

"Few things are less likely. And even if he did, and the worst came to
the worst, I might borrow Mr. Rogers', you know," added the
Commandant--and with a smile; for he stood six feet, and Mr. Rogers a
bare five feet five, in their respective socks.

"He might ask you both together. 'Twould be just of a piece with his
damned thoughtlessness."

"Hush, Archelaus!" his master commanded sternly, and reproached himself
afterwards for having felt not altogether ill-pleased.

"Well, sir, I thank you kindly; and I won't deny 'twill be a comfort to
go about with th