han of its flashy appearance and
the fine finish it gave to my uniform. I was a strange mixture, for,
when the preacher, looking down the old Gothic arches, said: "This
historic church has often before filled with armed men," I shivered
with the poetry of it; and yet, no sooner had I come out into the
modern sunlight and seen the congregation waiting for the soldiers
to be marched off, than I must needs be occupied again with the
peculiarly dashing figure I was cutting.

Once Doe and I went on a visit to Kensingtowe, partly out of loyalty
to the old school, and partly to display ourselves in our new
greatness. We wore our field-service caps at the jaunty angle of all
right-minded subalterns. Though only unmounted officers, we were
dressed in yellow riding-breeches with white leather strappings.
Fixed to our heels were the spurs that we had long possessed in
secret. They jingled with every step, and the only thing that marred
the music of their tinkle was the anxiety lest some officer of the
2nd Tenth should see us thus arrayed. Doe was in field boots, but
his pleasure in being seen in this cavalry kit was quite spoiled by
his fear of being ridiculed for "swank." Both of us would have liked
to take our batmen with us and to say: "Don't trouble, my man will
do that for you."

We created a gratifying sensation at Kensingtowe. It was
exhilarating to have a friend come up to me and exclaim: "By Jove,
Ray, you're no end of a dog now," and to notice that he didn't heed
my self-depreciatory answer because he was busy looking into every
detail of my uniform. "What devilish fine fellows we are, eh what?"
cried our admirers, and we blushed and said "Oh, shut up." We met
old Dr. Chappy, who looked us up and down, roared with laughter, and
said "Well, I'll be damned!" We were welcomed into Radley's room,
and were boys enough to address him as "sir" as though we were still
his pupils. He examined our appearance like a big brother proud of
two young ones, and said after a silence:

"So this is what it has all come to."

I took a lot of my cronies out to tea in the town, and, as we walked
to the shops, stared down the road to see if any Tommies were coming
who would salute me in front of my guests. Luck was kind to me. For
a large party, marching under an N.C.O., approached us; and the
N.C.O. in a voice like the crack of doom cried "Party--eyes RIGHT!"
Heads and eyes swung towards me, the N.C.O. saluted briskly, and,
when the par