born again into a regiment as infants are born into a family, and it was
that military birth alone which really counted.

At the sight of Lieutenant D'Hubert standing before him bleached and
hollow-eyed, the heart of the old warrior was touched with genuine
compassion. All his affection for the regiment--that body of men which
he held in his hand to launch forward and draw back, who had given him
his rank, ministered to his pride and commanded his thoughts--seemed
centred for a moment on the person of the most promising subaltern. He
cleared his throat in a threatening manner and frowned terribly.

"You must understand," he began, "that I don't care a rap for the life
of a single man in the regiment. You know that I would send the 748
of you men and horses galloping into the pit of perdition with no more
compunction than I would kill a fly."

"Yes, colonel. You would be riding at our head," said Lieutenant
D'Hubert with a wan smile.

The colonel, who felt the need of being very diplomatic, fairly roared
at this.

"I want you to know, Lieutenant D'Hubert, that I could stand aside and
see you all riding to Hades, if need be. I am a man to do even that, if
the good of the service and my duty to my country required it from me.
But that's unthinkable, so don't you even hint at such a thing."

He glared awfully, but his voice became gentle. "There's some milk yet
about that moustache of yours, my boy. You don't know what a man like
me is capable of. I would hide behind a haystack if... Don't grin at me,
sir. How dare you? If this were not a private conversation, I would...
Look here. I am responsible for the proper expenditure of lives under my
command for the glory of our country and the honour of the regiment. Do
you understand that? Well, then, what the devil do you mean by letting
yourself be spitted like this by that fellow of the Seventh Hussars?
It's simply disgraceful!"

Lieutenant D'Hubert, who expected another sort of conclusion, felt vexed
beyond measure. His shoulders moved slightly. He made no other answer.
He could not ignore his responsibility. The colonel softened his glance
and lowered his voice.

"It's deplorable," he murmured. And again he changed his tone. "Come,"
he went on persuasively, but with that note of authority which dwells
in the throat of a good leader of men, "this affair must be settled. I
desire to be told plainly what it is all about. I demand, as your best
friend, to know."

The