good fellow. Do you mind?'--he pointed to a sunken tomb by a
motion of one of his crutches, and he sat down upon it. 'What has a
fellow got to do when another fellow has fetched him out of the fire at
the risk of his own life, and one fellow hates the other fellow like the
very devil? I'll tell you straight, Polson,' said De Blacquaire, in his
old-mannered drawl, 'I'd have seen you damned and done for before I'd
have reached out a finger to save you. And I think that you are the
blamedest kind of an ass and a duffer to have pulled me out. And yet I
don't know--I'm not so cursed certain that you'll suffer for it.'

CHAPTER XII

In the pale spring sunlight where they sat, there came a wholly
incongruous figure. It was clad in black broadcloth, and black kid
gloves, and there was a black shining silk hat on the top of it; and in
one of the black kid gloved hands was balanced a black silk umbrella.
The figure was that of John Jervase, and he was walking amidst the tombs
of Scutari with about as much visible emotion as he would have shown if
he had been on his daily walk to the Stock Exchange in Stevenson Place,
Birmingham.

'They told me at the hospital as you'd got leave for a bit of a walk,
Polly, and one of the chaps said it was likely I should find you here.
You're better, ain't you? There's a little bit of colour in your face
this morning.'

He was altogether gay and friendly, and his voice and manner alike were
cheerful, but he fell into a ludicrous consternation as he turned to
find Major de Blacquaire seated between two turbaned tombs at his left
hand.

'I say, Sergeant,' said the Major, with his University drawl, 'I wish
you'd go away for half a minute, and leave me to talk things over with
your Governah?'

'As you like,' said Polson, and hobbled away towards the south end of
the cemetery, where the bay lay gleaming that mild morning, and French
and English troopships were landing men who were as broken as he himself
had been a month ago.

'I suppose,' said De Blacquaire, scratching lines on the ground before
him with one of his crutches, 'that you're one of the beastliest old
bounders that one could find on the face of the earth, and I have the
best sort of a good mind to get you into trouble. I suppose you know
that?'

'Very well,' said John Jervase. 'If you won't get me into any sort of
trouble that won't leave my boy outside, you're welcome.'

'Yes,' said the Major, 'that's where you come in.