d.

When the affair came to an end the Colonel of Tom's battalion sent for
him.

"Now, my man," said the Colonel, "tell me exactly what you heard."

Tom told his story straightforwardly. It was little he had to say, and
although the Colonel cross-questioned him very closely he was not able
to shake him.

"This is very strange," said the Colonel to the Major when Tom had
gone; "no one breathed a word about our plans, and as you know I laid
everything before the General at the Divisional Headquarters. They
were good plans too, and if the Germans had not got hold of them we
should have made a big haul. What is the meaning of it?"

The Major shook his head.

"It was the biggest thing we had planned for months," went on the
Colonel, "and I can't tell you how sick I am. We had everything in our
favour too. There must be some treachery somewhere!"

"Where can the treachery be?" asked the Major. "You know what the
Staff General said. It was to be kept absolutely quiet; the men were
to know nothing about it until an hour before the time, and all the
junior officers were to be kept in darkness. You know how careful the
General is too."

"But the fact is there, man!" cried the Colonel, "we have the evidence
of this lad, who could not possibly have been mistaken. He seemed an
intelligent lad too; you saw how closely I cross-questioned him. Who
is he?"

"I will send for his sergeant," was the Major's reply.

A few minutes later Sergeant Ashworth appeared on the scene. It was
the sergeant to whom Tom had spoken when he first came to Ypres.

"Tell me what you know of Private Pollard," said the Colonel.

Sergeant Ashworth spoke freely about Tom.

"A smart lad, sir," he said, "intelligent, and well-behaved. I spoke
to him about whether he would like his lance-corporal's stripe, but he
didn't seem to want it. He would make a very good non-commissioned
officer, sir."

"He seems a lad of some education," replied the Colonel.

"Yes, sir, a lot of those Lancashire lads are very well educated; they
are quick and sensible too, and Pollard is one of the best of them. My
opinion of him is that he is utterly trustworthy and intelligent."

"Now then, Blundell," and the Colonel turned to the Major, "what do you
think?"

"Of course we must report it to Headquarters at once," replied the
Major, "but for the life of me I can't see through it."

The incident as far as the men were concerned was simply regarded as an