"Oh--oh--oh!" sobbed Mrs Corporal wildly; "after all this time, and me
getting to love him and look upon him as my own! Oh, my lady, my lady,
you never would be so cruel as to take him away? It would be so wicked,
so hard upon us now."

"My own boy?" said Mrs Trevor gently, as Dick stood gazing wildly from
one to the other.

"But for us never to see him again," cried Mrs Corporal fiercely, and
she caught the boy by the arm. "Don't say you won't love us still, Dick
dear!"

"Why should he say such cruel words to one who has been a second mother
to him,--to one who brought him back to life? And why should you never
see him again? We are going to England too, and while we have a home it
shall be yours as well."

Mrs Trevor took the rough woman's hand, leaned towards her, and kissed
her cheek.

"For saving my darling's life," she said softly, and then burst into
tears.

Poor Mrs Corporal's anger melted at this, and she caught Mrs Trevor's
hand in hers and kissed it again and again.

"Oh, my dear lady," she sobbed; "I'm a wicked, selfish woman, and he is
your own flesh and blood. Come with you to be where I could always see
the dear, brave, darling boy? Oh, I'd go down on my knees and be
thankful, but I can't leave my poor man. I wouldn't if he was strong
and well, and now he's wounded and broken and got to leave the
regiment--no, not if we had to beg our bread from door to door. Kiss
me, my darling boy, once more, and then--oh Joe, my man, I can't bear
it! Take me away, take me away."

Joe, who had stood back stiffly in the background near where Dick's
father was whispering with Colonel Lavis, took two steps to the front
with a painful limp, saluted the company, and caught his half-blind wife
in his arms.

"It's quite right, my lass," he said huskily, "and--from my heart, my
lady, I say thank God the dear lad's coming to his own. Don't mind what
the missus said--she--she, you see, loved him, and--good-bye, Master
Dick, my lad--good--"

"Stop," said Mr Trevor, stepping towards him with his eyes moist, and
clapping the invalided soldier on the shoulder. "Corporal, your Colonel
says that you are as brave and true a man as ever stepped. I feel that
it must be so. While I live the wounded soldier to whom we owe so much
shall never want a home. Dick, as they call you--Frank, my boy, what do
you say to this?"

"Say?" faltered the boy, as he stood trembling, and then he could not
speak. The next momen