ing colonels I ever saw, 'your sentiments do you honour.
But, Bastables all, and--and non-Bastables' (he couldn't remember
Foulkes; it's not such an interesting name as Bastable, of course)--'at
least you'll accept a soldier's pay?'

'Lucky to touch it, a shilling a day!' Alice and Denny said together.
And the Cocked-Hatted Man said something about knowing your own mind and
knowing your own Kipling.

'A soldier,' said the Colonel, 'would certainly be lucky to touch it.
You see there are deductions for rations. Five shillings is exactly
right, deducting twopence each for six teas.'

This seemed cheap for the three cups of tea and the three eggs and all
the strawberry jam and bread-and-butter Oswald had had, as well as what
the others ate, and Lady's and Pincher's teas, but I suppose soldiers
get things cheaper than civilians, which is only right.

Oswald took the five shillings then, there being no longer any scruples
why he should not.

Just as we had parted from the brave Colonel and the rest we saw a
bicycle coming. It was Albert's uncle. He got off and said--

'What on earth have you been up to? What were you doing with those
volunteers?'

We told him the wild adventures of the day, and he listened, and then he
said he would withdraw the word volunteers if we liked.

But the seeds of doubt were sown in the breast of Oswald. He was now
almost sure that we had made jolly fools of ourselves without a moment's
pause throughout the whole of this eventful day. He said nothing at the
time, but after supper he had it out with Albert's uncle about the word
which had been withdrawn.

Albert's uncle said, of course, no one could be sure that the dragon's
teeth hadn't come up in the good old-fashioned way, but that, on the
other hand, it was barely possible that both the British and the enemy
were only volunteers having a field-day or sham fight, and he rather
thought the Cocked-Hatted Man was not a general, but a doctor. And the
man with a red pennon carried behind him MIGHT have been the umpire.

Oswald never told the others a word of this. Their young breasts were
all panting with joy because they had saved their country; and it would
have been but heartless unkindness to show them how silly they had been.
Besides, Oswald felt he was much too old to have been so taken in--if
he HAD been. Besides, Albert's uncle did say that no one could be sure
about the dragon's teeth.

The thing that makes Oswald feel most that