of what was coming; and presently, sure
enough, I could hear some of our chaps singing 'Hullo, hullo, hullo!'
in the distance; and I says to myself, 'Not this time.'

"So I looked about me, and I found a hole under the wall; a kind of a
drain I should think it was, and I found I could just squeeze through.
And I got out and crept, round, and away I goes running down the
street, yelling for all I was worth, just as our chaps were getting
round the corner at the bottom. 'Bang, bang!' went the guns, behind me
and in front of me, and on each side of me, and then--bash! something
hit me on the head and over I went; and I don't remember anything more
till I woke up here just now."

The soldier lay back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them he saw that there were other people in the room
besides the minister in the black robes. One was a man in a big black
cloak. He had a grim old face and a great beaky nose. He shook the
soldier by the hand.

"By God! sir," he said, "you're a credit to the British Army; you're a
damned fine soldier and a good man, and, by God! I'm proud to shake
hands with you."

And then someone came out of the shadow, someone in queer clothes such
as the soldier had seen worn by the heralds when he had been on duty
at the opening of Parliament by the King.

"Now, by _Corpus Domini_," this man said, "of all knights ye be
noblest and gentlest, and ye be of fairest report, and now ye be a
brother of the noblest brotherhood that ever was since this world's
beginning, since ye have yielded dear life for your friends' sake."

The soldier did not understand what the man was saying to him. There
were others, too, in strange dresses, who came and spoke to him. Some
spoke in what sounded like French. He cduld not make it out; but he
knew that they all spoke kindly and praised him.

"What does it all mean?" he said to the minister. "What are they
talking about? They don't think I'd let down my pals?"

"Drink this," said the minister, and he handed the soldier a great
silver cup, brimming with wine.

The soldier took a deep draught, and in that moment all his sorrows
passed from him.

"What is it?" he asked?

"_Vin nouveau du Royaume_," said the minister. "New Wine of the
Kingdom, you call it." And then he bent down and murmured in the
soldier's ear.

"What," said the wounded man, "the place they used to tell us about in
Sunday school? With such drink and such joy--"

His