er, of a man
who stood near him, as a lady came on the platform and took the chair.

"Ay, that's her," answered the man--and the speaker was Thomas Tufnell,
the ex-trooper of the Queen's Bays, and the present manager of the
Institute--"Ay, that's the `Soldier's Friend.'"

"Well, I might have guessed it," returned Simkin, "from the kindly way
in which she shook hands with a lot of soldiers just now."

"Yes, she has shook hands with a good many red-coats in her day, has the
`Soldier's Friend,'" returned the manager. "Why, I remember on one
occasion when she was giving a lecture to soldiers, and so many men came
forward to shake hands with her that, as she told me herself, her hand
was stiff and swelled all night after it!"

"But it's not so much for what she has done for ourselves that we're
grateful to her," remarked a corporal, who sat on Simkin's right, "as
for what she has done for our wives, widows, and children, through the
_Soldiers' and Sailors' Wives' Aid Association_. Lookin' arter them
when we're away fightin' our country's battles has endeared her to us
more than anything else."

Thus favourably predisposed, Simkin was open to good impressions that
night. But, indeed, there was an atmosphere--a spirit of good-will--in
the hall that night which rendered many others besides Simkin open to
good impressions. Among the civilians there was a man named Sloper, who
had for some time past been carefully fished for by an enthusiastic
young red-coat whom he had basely misled and swindled. He had been at
last hooked by the young red-coat, played, and finally landed in the
hall, with his captor beside him to keep him there--for Sloper was a
slippery fish, with much of the eel in his nature.

Perhaps the most unexpected visitors to the hall were two ladies in
mourning, who had just arrived from Egypt by way of Brindisi. Mrs and
Miss Drew, having occasion to pass through Portsmouth on their way home,
learned that there was to be a tea-fight at the Institute, and Marion
immediately said, "I should like _so_ much to see it!"

However much "_so_ much" was, Mrs Drew said she would like to see it
_as_ much, so away they went, and were conducted to the front row.
There Miles saw them! With his heart in his mouth, and his head in
confusion, he quietly rose, bade his wondering mother get up; conducted
her to the front seat, and, setting her down beside the Drews,
introduced them. Then, sitting down beside Marion, he w