iggs."

"Morning, gents," said the Sergeant, pulling back the tilt curtain after
entering. "Hope you're both better."

"Yes, ever so much, Sergeant," cried Denham. "Here, come and sit down.
Light your pipe and smoke."

"What about the doctor, sir?" said Briggs dubiously.

"Won't be here for an hour. I'll give you leave. Fill and light up."

The Sergeant obeyed orders willingly.

"Now then," said Denham, "talk away. I want to know exactly how matters
stand since yesterday."

"All right, sir," said the Sergeant, carefully crushing out the match he
had struck, as he smoked away.

"Well, go on," said Denham impatiently. "You said yesterday that things
were as bad as they could possibly be."

"I did, sir."

"Well, how are they now?"

"Worse. Ever so much worse."

"What do you mean, you jolly old muddler?" cried Denham, rousing up and
looking brighter than he had been since he came under the doctor's
hands.

"What I say, sir," replied the Sergeant, staring. "Things are ever so
much worse."

"Val," cried Denham, turning to me, "poor old Briggs has had so much to
do with that scoundrel Moriarty that he has caught his complaint."

"I beg pardon, sir," growled the Sergeant stiffly; "I've always been
faithful to Her Majesty the Queen."

"Of course you have, Sergeant."

"Beg pardon, sir. You said I'd caught his complaint, meaning I was
turning renegade."

"Nothing of the kind; but you have caught his national complaint, for
there you go again--blundering. Can't you see?"

"No, sir," said the Sergeant, drawing himself up stiffer than ever.

"Then you ought to. Blundering--making bulls. If the state of affairs
was as bad as it could be yesterday, how can it be worse to-day?"

The Sergeant scratched his head, and his countenance relaxed.

"Oh!" he said thoughtfully, "of course. I didn't see that at first,
gentlemen."

"Never mind, so long as you see it now. But go ahead, Briggs. You
can't think what it is to be lying here in hospital, with fighting going
on all round, and only able to get scraps of news now and then."

The Sergeant chuckled.

"Here, I don't see anything to laugh at in that," cried Denham,
frowning. "Do you find it funny?"

"I just do, sir. Think of you talking like that to me? Why, twice over
when I was in the Dragoons I was bowled over and had to go into
hospital, up north there, in Egypt. Thirsty, gentlemen? I was thirsty,
double thirsty, in the nasty sandy coun