spital."

"Yes; it hangs a bit 'eavy; it's just 'orspital life. I've been wounded
before, you see. It's better than bein' out there. I expect I'll lose
the proper use o' this arm. I don't worry; I'll get my discharge."

"You've got some good nurses here."

"Yes; I like Mrs. Lynch; she's the lady I like."

"My cousin."

"I see you come in together. I see everything 'ere. I think a lot, too.
Passes the time."

"Do they let you smoke?"

"Oh, yes! They let us smoke."

"Have one of mine?"

The young soldier smiled for the first time. "Thank you; I've got
plenty."

The nurse came by, and smiled at Pierson.

"He's one of our blase ones; been in before, haven't you, Simson?"

Pierson looked at the young man, whose long, narrow face; where one
sandy-lashed eyelid drooped just a little, seemed armoured with a sort of
limited omniscience. The gramophone had whirred and grunted into "Sidi
Brahim." The nurse passed on.

"'Seedy Abram,'" said the young soldier. "The Frenchies sing it; they
takes it up one after the other, ye know."

"Ah!" murmured Pierson; "it's pretty." And his fingers drummed on the
counterpane, for the tune was new to him. Something seemed to move in
the young man's face, as if a blind had been drawn up a little.

"I don't mind France," he said abruptly; "I don't mind the shells and
that; but I can't stick the mud. There's a lot o' wounded die in the
mud; can't get up--smothered." His unwounded arm made a restless
movement. "I was nearly smothered myself. Just managed to keep me nose
up."

Pierson shuddered. "Thank God you did!"

"Yes; I didn't like that. I told Mrs. Lynch about that one day when I
had the fever. She's a nice lady; she's seen a lot of us boys: That
mud's not right, you know." And again his unwounded arm made that
restless movement; while the gramophone struck up: "The boys in brown."
The movement of the arm affected Pierson horribly; he rose and, touching
the bandaged shoulder, said:

"Good-bye; I hope you'll soon be quite recovered."

The young soldier's lips twisted in the semblance of a smile; his drooped
eyelid seemed to try and raise itself.

"Good day, sir," he said; "and thank you."

Pierson went back to the hall. The sunlight fell in a pool just inside
the open door, and an uncontrollable impulse made him move into it, so
that it warmed him up to the waist. The mud! How ugly life was! Life
and Death! Both ugly! Poor boys! Poor boys!