ivate Green briefly, and without a sign of
understanding the slangy joke.

Hal turned away, a choking feeling in his throat, though his outward
demeanor was brave enough.

"Clegg, and the rest of you," began Overton, stopping by a group of the
soldiers, "will you all do your best to try to remember some time when I
may have had occasion to address an envelope to Green?"

Clegg stopped talking with his comrades, half-wheeled about, looked the
young corporal steadily in the eyes, then turned back once more to carry
on his talk with the other soldiers.

Hal Overton's face went deathly pale.

This was the direct cut, the snub, from his mates of the squad room.

After that Hal would make no advances to any man in the room who did not
first signify that he believed in the hapless corporal.

"Don't mind 'em, Hal," muttered Noll soothingly, coming up behind his
bunkie at the far end of the squad room. "They're only human, and you
will have to admit that, just for the moment, all things being taken
into consideration, that appearances do hit you a bit. But the whole
thing will all be straightened out before long."

"Will it?" asked Hal almost listlessly. He had to speak thus, to prevent
the sob in his throat from getting into his voice. For, soldier though
he was, and a rarely good one, he was still only a boy in years, and
this air of suspicion in the squad room made all life look wholly dark
to him.

"Surely all will come right," insisted Noll. "You've plenty of good
friends around here."

"You and Sergeant Hupner," smiled Corporal Overton bitterly. "But at
least, old chap, you two make up in quality what you lack in numbers."

The call for mess formation rang at last. Corporal Hal went to his place
in the company line as briskly as ever.

Just as the men were passing Corporal Hyman hit Hal a clip on the
shoulder.

"Buck up, old spinal trouble!" urged Hyman heartily, in a low voice.
"Don't disappoint every friend and true believer you've got."

There were a few others who were openly friendly in the company mess,
but Hal could force only a few mouthfuls of food and a cup of tea down
his throat that night.

At a little after eight o'clock an orderly of the guard came striding
into the squad room to inform Overton that Colonel North would see him
at the officers' club.

Thither Hal went. When he reported he was directed to a little smoking
room that stood just off the dining room. When Hal knocked and entered