not among them. She had parted the previous
night from her husband at his earnest request, and returned by rail to
her father's house, there to await, as patiently as she might, the
return of her "Willie."

"Noble defenders of our country!" observed an enthusiastic citizen, as
they passed through the gates.

"Food for powder," remarked a sarcastic publican, as he turned away to
resume his special work of robbing powder of its food and his country of
its defenders.

Proceeding to the Embarkation Jetty, the detachment was marched on board
the troop-ship, where the men were at once told off to their respective
messes, and proceeded without delay to make themselves at home by taking
possession of their allotted portion of the huge white-painted fabric
that was to bear them over the waves to distant lands.

Taking off their belts and stowing them overhead, they got hold of their
bags, exchanged their smart uniforms for old suits of clothes, and
otherwise prepared themselves for the endurance of life on board a
transport.

To his great satisfaction, Miles found that several of the comrades for
whom he had by that time acquired a special liking, were appointed to
the same mess with himself. Among these were his friend Willie
Armstrong, Sergeants Gilroy and Hardy, Corporal Flynn, a private named
Gaspard Redgrave, who was a capital musician, and had a magnificent
tenor voice, Robert Macleod, a big-boned Scotsman, and Moses Pyne, a
long-legged, cadaverous nondescript, who was generally credited with
being half-mad, though with a good deal of method in his madness, and
who was possessed of gentleness of spirit, and a cheerful readiness to
oblige, which seemed a flat contradiction of his personal appearance,
and rendered him a general favourite.

While these were busy arranging their quarters a soldier passed with
several books in his hand, which he had just received from one of the
ladies from the Institute.

"Hallo, Jack!" cried Moses Pyne; "have the ladies been aboard?"

"Of course they have. They've been all over the ship already
distributin' books an' good-byes. If you want to see 'em you'll have to
look sharp, Moses, for they're just goin' on shore."

"See 'em!" echoed Moses; "of course I wants to see 'em. But for them,
I'd be--"

The rest of the sentence was lost in the clatter of Moses' feet as he
stumbled up the ladder-way. Remembering his letter at that moment,
Miles followed him, and reached the gangw