was very happy,
but I had an idea that it might be a long time before I should go back
to the old place.

On my return to Dublin I had to go on recruit drill for a day, as
before, when the sergeant-major gave me and others a hint, which we
wisely took, to have our hair cut for the next parade. For another year
after this we were kept here on garrison duty, with some pretty hard
field-days in the Phoenix Park, and the usual marchings out in winter.

STORY FOUR, CHAPTER 3.

The sort of life we led in Dublin was all very well in its way, but for
my part I wished for something more stirring. There seemed now to be a
chance of our getting it. The papers began to talk of war with the
Russians. They had been ill-treating the Turks. Now the Turks are our
friends. I do not know exactly why, for I cannot say much in their
favour. In this case the Russians had behaved very ill. During a thick
fog, a large fleet of their ships had sailed into a Turkish port, and
blown up and burnt a number of Turkish vessels, killing no less than
5,000 Turks on that day. This made the English very angry. It was
clear, too, that the Russians intended getting hold of the chief city,
Constantinople, and the country of the Turks. Our hopes of war
increased when we heard that the English and French fleets had gone up
the Black Sea, and then that the Guards and other regiments were to be
sent up the Mediterranean to Malta, and then on to a place called Varna,
on the shore of the Black Sea, in the country of the Turks, and near
Russia. It was said also that the Russians were collecting an army in a
part of the country called the Crimea, in the Black Sea, where there is
a strong fortress with a town and harbour called Sebastopol. We, of
course, every day looked eagerly into the papers to see what regiments
were ordered abroad, but the 90th was not among those named. This
greatly vexed both officers and men, and some fretted and fumed very
much at it. It was the daily talk at the mess-tables of all ranks.

"More regiments ordered for foreign service," exclaimed Marshall; for,
strange to say, he was as eager as any one about going. He wanted to be
doing something, poor fellow, to keep his mind away from Kathleen.
"See, here's a list,--others talked of, but no mention made of the
90th."

"Let well alone, lads, and be content," observed Higgins. "Fighting is
all very well to talk about, but the reality is precious rough work; and
so