l you come to tea with us?' he asked breathlessly, as he
came up to him.
The corporal looked up. He was a fine-looking young man with a frank,
bright face, and he was reading a well-worn Bible, which he put carefully
in his pocket before he rose to his feet.
'That's very kind of your granny,' he said; 'and I'll come with pleasure.
I'm out of it at the Hare and Hounds.'
Teddy's quick eyes had spied the Bible.
'Do you like the Bible?' he asked gravely.
'It's my order book,' the corporal said with a smile, 'and my best friend
in the world.'
'What's an order book?'
'It gives you your daily commands--just what you are to do and where
you're to go. My Captain writes my orders down in His Word for me.'
'He's my Captain too,' said Teddy with glistening eyes. 'You mean Jesus,
don't you? I've enlisted in His army, and I'm one of His soldiers.'
'Shake hands, little brother, then; we're comrades after all.'
'Are all soldiers in Jesus Christ's army?' asked Teddy as they walked
away together.
The corporal shook his head sadly. 'Hardly any of them in my regiment,'
he said. 'We're nearly seven hundred strong, and only six men besides
myself, as far as I can tell, belong to the Lord. A year ago I was an
awful blackguard myself: I drank dreadfully, and couldn't give the drink
up; but that's all a thing of the past. Since I have belonged to the Lord
He keeps me from it, and many other bad habits. I'll own I fairly
dreaded coming to this bit of duty. The sight and smell of the beer is
very strong to a man that has been such a slave to it, and I must be
quartered in public-houses the whole way along.'
'You'll have to fight like Mr. Upton told me to, won't you?' said Teddy.
'But if our Captain is with us, Mr. Upton says we shan't be beaten.'
'No,' said the corporal, a light coming into his eyes. 'We shall be more
than conquerors.'
Then, after a pause, he said, 'It's very considerate of your granny to
ask me to tea; I was just wishing that something could be done in this
village for the men coming after me, like we had last year when we
marched through the country for the manoeuvres. They gave us a free tea
at several of the places we went through, and it kept so many from
drinking. There's a man coming along here who I'm terrible anxious about.
He's been an awful drunkard, and is quite an old soldier; but last New
Year's Day he signed the pledge, and he's kept it ever since: he's just
on the point of being conv
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