irregular," said he, "but I sympathise.
Still, if I know our friend Dawson here, there won't be any fighting.
You have no idea of his skill as a diplomatist. He tells the truth,
which is so unusual and startling that the effect is overwhelming. He
is a heavy human howitzer. I envy you, Colonel."

"I have not a notion what we are to be at," said the Colonel.

"I am not very clear myself. It is Dawson's picnic, not ours, and we
have given him a free hand. You won't get any fighting, but there will
be lots of fun."

Meanwhile the First Lord had drawn Dawson to one side. "Good luck,
Captain Dawson; you have not wasted any time, and I have the best of
hopes. We had a beautiful row after you left us this morning. It did
my poor heart good. The P.M. declares that if you put martial law into
force, he will hand in his checks to the King. So, my poor friend, you
carry with you a mighty responsibility. But stick it out, don't
hesitate to follow your judgment, and wire me how you get on."

"Don't worry, sir," said Dawson, "I shall not fail. If it had not been
for you and his lordship here, I should not have had this great
chance. I won't let you down."

"Sh!" whispered the other. "Not so loud. We are conspirators, strictly
incog., dressed in the shabbiest of clothes. We had to see you off,
for I enjoyed the tussle of this morning beyond words. I would not for
anything have missed the P.M.'s face when he found himself driven to
act suddenly and definitely. I am eternally your debtor, Captain
Dawson of the Red Marines."

"My word," exclaimed the Colonel-Lieutenant, when the visitors had
slipped away like a couple of stage villains, with soft hats pulled
down over their eyes--"the Field-Marshal and the First Lord! You have
some friends, sir."

"I am only a ranker," said Dawson humbly, "with very temporary stars;
not a pukka officer and gentleman like you. I hope that you do not
mind sharing' a sleeper with me?"

"I should be proud to share with you the measliest dug-out in a
Flanders graveyard," replied the Colonel emphatically. The two
officers, so anomalously associated, entered their berth the best of
friends and talked together far into the night. And as they talked,
the Colonel, now a Lieutenant, made the same discovery which had
startled Dawson's two powerful supporters of the morning. In the
police officer, rough, half-educated, vain, tender of heart, he also
had discovered a Man. "But for me and my Red Marines," sa