sweet
Home," and returned to barracks, utterly oblivious of the fact that he
had left the unfinished letter to his mother on the table in the
reading-room.

CHAPTER SIX.

THE UNFINISHED LETTER--TOO LATE!

Next morning young Milton--or, as he was called by his comrades, John
Miles--rose with the depressing thought that it was to be his last day
in England. As he was dressing, it flashed across him that he had left
his unfinished letter on the reading-room table, and, concluding that it
would be swept away in the rush of people there--at all events that, not
having been folded or addressed, it could not be posted--his depression
was deepened.

The first thing that roused him to a better frame of mind was the smell
of tea!

Most people are more or less familiar with teapots; with the few
teaspoonfuls of the precious leaf which thrifty housekeepers put into
these pots, and the fragrant liquid that results. But who among
civilians, (save the informed), can imagine a barrack-room teapot?

Open your ears, O ye thrifty ones! while we state a few facts, and there
will be no need to tell you to open your eyes.

Into the teapot which supplied Miles with his morning cup there was put,
for _one_ making, eight pounds of tea!--not ounces, observe, but
pounds,--twenty-nine pounds of sugar, and six gallons--an absolute
cowful--of milk! The pot itself consisted of eight enormous coppers,
which were filled with boiling water to the brim.

"Yes, sir," remarked the military cook, who concocted the beverage, to a
speechless visitor one day; "it _is_ a pretty extensive brew; but then,
you see, we have a large family!"

A considerable portion of this large family was soon actively engaged in
preparation for immediate embarkation for Egypt. Then the General made
the men a farewell speech. It was a peculiar speech--not altogether
suited to cheer timid hearts, had any such been there, but admirably
adapted to British soldiers.

"Men," said he, "I am very glad to see you parade looking so well and
clean and comfortable and ready for active service. You will be dirty
enough, sometimes, where you are going, for the country is hot and
unhealthy, and not over clean. You will have hardships, hard times, and
plenty of hard work, as well as hard beds now and then, and very likely
the most of you will never come back again; but you would be unworthy of
the name of British soldiers if you allowed such thoughts to trouble
your minds