wound to speak of." Tryphena, who had
listened to this story of her elderly admirer with becoming gravity,
ventured to ask: "Do officers carry champagne corks about with them on
the battle-field, Corporal Rigby?"

"Not all officers, Miss Hill. I never heard that Lord Raglan or Sir
Colin did. But the young fellows, of course. How else could they blacken
each other's faces?"

"Do they do that?"

"Regular. There was a subaltern they called Baby Appleby, he was so
white-skinned and light-haired. Well, one night we had to turn out for
an alarm in the dark, and charged two miles up to the rifle pits of the
first line. When we came back, the colonel halted us for inspection
before dismiss. When he came to Mr. Appleby, he turns to his captain and
says: 'Where did you get this nigger in uniform, Ford?' The captain
looked at him and roared, for poor Mr. Appleby was as black as Maguffin.
The gentlemen had amused themselves corking him when he was asleep."

"Yoh finds it mighty easy, consterble, ter say disrespeckshus remahks on
cullud folks," said the temporary barber, entering at that moment. "Ef
the Lawd made as dahk complected, I specks the Lawd knowed what He was
a doin', and didn't go foh ter set white folks a-sneezin' at 'em. I'se
flissertaten myself ebery day yoh cayn't cohk me inter a white folks."

"They's whitewaush, Maguffin," interpolated Ben. "A good heavy coaut o'
whitewaush 'ud make a gashly Corkashun of you."

"Yah! yah! yah! I'se got a brudder as perfesses whitewashin' an'
colourin'. When he's done got a job, he looks moh like the consterble's
brudder nor myuns, yah! yah! yah!"

The corporal frowned, and went on with his breakfast, while Mr. Maguffin
gave an account of his shaving adventure, and of the sight of that poor
man whose moustache had been trimmed by a non-professional.

Ben was soon after called by the detective to re-engage in the hunt for
Rawdon, who was now known to be wounded, and, therefore, to be lurking
somewhere in the neighbourhood. Mrs. Carmichael accompanied Mr. Errol on
a visit to Matilda Nagle at the post office. The absence of the minister
made the morning game of golf impossible, so that Mr. Perrowne had to
surrender himself to the care of Miss Halbert, which he did with a fine
grace of cheerful resignation. Mr. Douglas expressed a desire to take a
walk in the surrounding country, and the dominie echoed it, with the
condition that the ladies should share in the excursion. The Squi