, Miss Greendale, than
you will find me. You will have become a dignified young lady. I
shall be only a little older and a little browner. You see, I have
never been stationed in India since I joined, for the regiment had
only just come home, and I am looking forward with pleasurable
anticipation to seeing it. Ordinary life there in a hot cantonment
must be pretty dull, though, from what I hear, people enjoy it much
more than you would think possible. But at a time like the present
it will be full of interest and excitement."

"You will write to us sometimes, I hope," Sir John said, when
Mallett rose to leave.

"I won't promise to write often, Sir John. I expect that we shall
be generally on the move, perhaps without tents of any kind, and to
write on one's knee, seated round a bivouac fire, with a dozen
fellows all laughing and talking round, would be a hopeless task;
but if at any time we are halted at a place where writing is
possible, I will certainly do so. I have but few friends in
England--at any rate, only men, who never think of expecting a
letter. And as you are among my very oldest and dearest friends, it
will be a pleasure for me to let you know how I am getting on, and
to be sure that you will feel an interest in my doings."

There was a warm goodbye, and all went to the door for a few last
words. Frank's portmanteau was already in the dog cart, for he had
arranged to drive straight from Greendale to Chippenham, where he
would dine at an hotel and then go on by the mail to Exeter.

It was three o'clock when he drove into the barracks there. Early
as the hour was, the troops were already up and busy. Wagons were
being loaded, the long lines of windows were all lighted up, and in
every room men could be seen moving about. He drove across the
barrack yard to his own quarters, left his portmanteau there, and
then walked to the mess room. As he had expected, he found several
officers there.

"Ah, Mallett, there you are. You are the last in; the others all
turned up by the evening train, but we thought that as you were
comparatively near you would come on by the mail."

"I thought I should find some of you fellows keeping it up."

"Well, there was nothing else to do. There won't be much chance of
going to sleep. We all dined in the town, for of course the mess
plate and kit have been packed up. We are not taking much with us
now, just enough to make shift with. The rest will be sent round to
Calcutta, t