gotten that the
General was a bit of a martinet.

'That's nice discipline,' he said. 'I don't know whether you know it;
but in some armies you'd be court-martialled for less than that.'

'Well, may we, then?' asked Guy a little impatiently.

'No salute now!' cried his superior. 'I shall never make you fellows
smart. Why, at the Haversacks, last Easter, there were half a dozen of
us, and we drilled like machines. Of course you mayn't play tennis--this
is only a bivouac; and it's over now. Attention! The left wing of the
force will occupy the shrubbery; the right will push on and blow up the
gate.

'Which of us is the left wing?' inquired Guy.

'You are, of course.'

'Oh, all right; only you said Jack was just now,' grumbled Guy, who was
evidently a little disposed to rebel at being deprived of his tennis.

'Look here,' said the General; 'either let's do the thing thoroughly, or
not do it at all. It's no pleasure to _me_ to be General, I can tell
you; and if I can't have perfect discipline in the ranks--why, we might
as well drop the army altogether!'

'Oh, all right,' said Jack, who was a sweet-tempered boy, 'we won't do
it again.'

And they went off to carry out their separate instructions, Clarence
Tinling remaining by the cedar.

'I have to be a little sharp now and then,' he explained. 'Why, if I
didn't keep an iron rule over them, they'd be getting insubordinate in
no time. You mustn't think I've any objection to their playing tennis,
or anything of that sort; only discipline must be kept up; though it
seems severe, perhaps, to you.'

'It doesn't seem to be half bad fun for _you_, at all events,' said
Hazel.

'Of course,' added Hilary, whose cheeks were flushed and eyes
suspiciously bright as she plucked all the blades of grass that were
within her reach, 'we're glad if you're enjoying being here; but it's a
little slow for us girls. You might give the army a half-holiday now and
then.'

'An army, especially a small army, like ours,' said Clarence, grandly,
'ought to be constantly prepared for action; else it's no use. Then,
look at the protection it is. Why, we've just built a fortified place
close to the kitchen garden, where you could all retire to if we were
attacked; and, properly provisioned, we could hold out for almost any
time.'

'Thank you,' said Hilary. 'I should feel a good deal safer in the
box-room. And then, who's going to attack us?'

'Well, you never know,' replied Clarence; 'bu