them that he needed nothing and would accept nothing. He
was dimly conscious himself that he was acting unkindly and unfairly to
them, and that after all they had done for him they had a right to have
a say as to his future; but at present his pride was too hurt, he was
too sore and humiliated to listen to the whisper of conscience, and his
sole thought was to hide himself and to make his own way in the world.

Lest his resolution should be shaken he carefully abstained from a
perusal of the papers, lest his eye might fall upon an advertisement
begging him to return. His mind was made up that he would enlist. He
knew that at present he could not do so as a private, but he thought
that he might be accepted as a trumpeter. He thought it probable that
they would guess that such was his intention, and would have given a
description of him at the recruiting offices. It was for this reason
that he determined to live as long as he could upon his money before
trying to enlist, as if some time elapsed he would be less likely to be
recognized as answering the description that might be given by Captain
Clinton than if he made the attempt at once. From Vauxhall he often
crossed to West minster, and soon struck up an acquaintance with some of
the recruiting sergeants.

"Want to enlist, eh?" one of them said.

"I am thinking of entering as a trumpeter."

"Well, you might do that. There are plenty of younger lads than you are
trumpeters in the cavalry. I will look at the list and see what
regiments have vacancies; but I doubt whether they will take you without
a letter from your father saying that you are enlisting with his
consent."

"I have no father that I know of," Edgar said.

"Well, then, it is likely they will want a certificate from a clergyman
or your schoolmaster as to character; and I expect," the sergeant said
shrewdly, "you would have a difficulty in getting such a paper."

Edgar nodded.

"Well, lad, if you have quite made up your mind about it, my advice
would be, do not try here. In London they are a lot more particular than
they are down in the country, and I should say you are a good deal more
likely to rub through at Aldershot or Canterbury than you would be here.
They are more particular here. You see, they have no great interest in
filling up the ranks of a regiment, while when you go to the regiment
itself, the doctors and officers and all of them like seeing it up to
its full strength, so their interest