h yes, I dare," said the attendant, with a grin. "Doctor's orders
were that, as you were put in here when you oughtn't to be, I was to be
sure and keep you quiet so as you shouldn't disturb the captain, and I'm
blessed if I don't keep you quiet; so there."

"You daren't," cried the corporal tauntingly.

"What! Just you say that again and I will. Look here, my fine fellow.
In comes Dr Emden. `What's this, orderly?' he says. `How dare you gag
this man?'

"`Couldn't keep him quiet, sir,' I says. `He's been raving awful, and
lying, and egging the captain on to keep saying Mr Dickenson and Mr
Lennox is cowards.'"

"I wasn't lying," cried the corporal, with a return of his whimpering
tone. "What Captain Roby says is all true. I saw Mr Lennox sneak off
like a cur with his tail between his legs."

"Cur yourself, you lying scoundrel!" cried Dickenson.--"Here, orderly,
I'll hold him. Where's that gag?"

"Oh! Ow!" wailed the corporal. "Here, if you touch me I'll cry for
help."

"You won't be able to," said the orderly, making a pretended rush at the
doctor's chest of hospital requirements.

"Bah! Quiet, orderly. Let the scoundrel alone. He's off his head and
doesn't know what he's saying, poor wretch."

"Begging your pardon, sir," said the attendant, "the captain don't; but
this chap does. I haven't seen what I have amongst the sick and wounded
without picking up a little, and I say Master Corporal here's doing a
bit o' sham Abram to keep himself safe."

"Oh, nonsense," said Dickenson shortly. "You're getting as bad as the
poor fellow himself. The doctor would have seen in a minute."

"I don't know, sir," whispered the attendant, glancing at the corporal,
who lay with his eyes half-closed and his ears twitching. "He's pretty
cunning. Had a crack or two with a rifle-stock, I think, but only just
so much as would make another man savage. You'll see; he'll be sent
back into the ranks in a couple of days or so."

"No, no, orderly," said Dickenson. "I prefer to believe he's a bit
delirious."

"Well, sir, I hope he is," said the man, "for everybody's sake,
including his own. I don't know, though," he continued, following the
lieutenant outside after the latter had laid his hand upon Roby's
burning forehead, and been called a coward and a cur for his pains;
"I've got my knife into Master Corporal May for old grudges, and I
should rather like Mr Lennox to hear him say what he does about him.
Corporal