going away
I'd--I'd---- Look here, Polly, you are going to keep true to me while
I'm away, aren't you?"

"I never thought much of soldiers," said Polly. "Besides----"

"Besides what?" asked Tom. "Look here, Polly, I gave up Alice Lister
for you, and if you had been at that meeting you would see as how I
couldn't do anything else."

"Do you think you might get a commission and be an officer?" asked the
girl.

"I never thought about that," said Tom.

Polly hesitated a second, then she said: "Of course I'll be true to
you, Tom. There, good night, I must go in."

The next morning as Tom was making his way towards the Town Hall he met
Alice Lister. At first he was going to pass her by without notice, but
when he saw the look on her face he stopped. She came towards him with
outstretched hand.

"Tom," she said, "I've heard about last night, and it was splendid of
you. I am glad you were the first. I am told that your going up in
that way led scores of others to go."

"Have you heard that?" said Tom. "I never thought of it."

"I am sure you will be a good soldier, Tom. We are all proud of you,
and--and we shall be thinking about you, and praying for you."

Tom laughed uneasily. "I thought you had forgotten all about me,
Alice," he said.

"Why should you think so?"

"I have heard there is a young parson going after you. Are you going
to make a match of it, Alice?" And again he laughed.

"Good-bye, Tom, I hope you will do well." And Alice left him with a
strange fluttering in his heart.

Tom joined the Loyal North Lancashires. I will not say which
battalion, as the mention of it might cause some of my readers to
identify the lad whose story I am telling. His unit was located at a
large Lancashire town some thirty miles from Brunford. Here he was
initiated into the secrets of a soldier's life. At first everything
was a drudgery to him; he could not see the meaning of what he was
doing, could not understand how "forming fours" and other parts of his
drill could help him to be a soldier. Still, being a fairly sharp,
common-sense lad, he picked up his work quickly, and in the course of a
few weeks was physically much better for his training. At the end of
three months he was nearly two inches taller, and more than three
inches bigger around the chest than at the time he joined. He began to
enjoy his work, too. The young subaltern whose duty it was to train
the company had more than once singl