little egg-stealing and mild
poaching, it was rare for his services to be called for.

Hence he bustled in, looking very important, and drew out a note-book
and pencil, examined the sufferer, asked a few questions, made a show of
putting down the answers, with a sad hieroglyphical result, and then
turned to Joey.

"Now, then," he said, "I'll take charge of him; and one of you must go
for the doctor."

"Doctor!" cried Joe indignantly. "Why, we sent for him goin' on for
hour ago."

"Ho! well: stand aside!"

"What for?"

"Don't you stand arguin', or you may get yourself into trouble," said
the constable importantly. "Stand aside!"

"Shan't!"

"What!" cried the constable, gripping the labourer by the arm.

"Can't you see what I'm doing? Want the poor young chap to bleed to
death?"

"How was I to know?" cried the constable. "Why didn't you say you were
doing it? Why don't you tie him up?"

"'Cause I wasn't born a doctor," grumbled Joey. "Hops is my line--I can
tie them up. Thought you pleecemen did that sort of thing."

The constable coughed.

"How long will the doctor be?" he said.

"All depen's whether he's at home or not. P'raps he's gone on a twenty
mile round."

"Then we'd better get a door and carry him somewhere," suggested the
policeman.

"Nay, it's in and out bad enough moving him at all, Joey," cried Smiler.
"I won't help move him, for it'll finish him off if we do."

The constable frowned, hesitated, and finally said:

"Well, as you have sent for the doctor, we'll wait."

And they waited for quite two hours before the man who had been again
and again sent up to play Sister Anne in the great cowl came down at
last to say that he had seen the doctor's chaise coming along the lane,
and five minutes after a keen-looking youngish man entered the great
barn-like place, examined his patient at once, asking questions the
while, and then with clever hands put a stop to further bleeding,
bandaged the wound, and contrived that a little water should trickle
between the sufferer's lips.

"Now then," said the doctor, "the poor fellow ought to be taken over to
Ratcham to the military hospital; but you had better get a door, and
we'll lay him on that and you will carry him to the Seven Steers. It
isn't above a mile, is it?"

"Mile an harf, sir," said Joe.

"Well, he must be carried there. To-morrow the people at Ratcham will
send an ambulance to fetch him. Now, then, a light door."

"Do