e superior knowledge
of youth, "What rotten dispositions these C.O.'s do make!" but
endeavouring to conceal his feelings by the manipulation of his face
and a more than usually heavy interspersion of "Sirs" in his
conversation. The enemy are ill-assorted allies: Captain Parr, a
dashing player of great courage and very ready tongue, and Lieutenant
Sumners, one of those grim, earnest fighters whom no event however
sudden or stupendous can surprise into speech. This latter is a real
soldier whose life is conducted in every particular on the lines laid
down in military text-books. He asks himself always, "Is it
soldierly?" and never "Is it common-sense?" He is at present in
trouble with his superior officer for having frozen on to his ace of
trumps long after he should have parted with it. But those text-books
say, "Keep your best forces in reserve," and so the little trumps must
needs be put in the firing line first.

As to the other officers of your acquaintance, each is making merry,
as the season demands, in his own fashion. One is studying, not for
the first time, a map on the wall showing the inner truth of the
currents in the Pacific; another is observing, for his information
and further guidance, the process of manufacture of lead pencils
as illustrated by samples in a glass-case. Others are being more
jovial still; having exhausted the pictures and advertisements of
the sixpenny Society papers, they are now actually reading the
letter-press. The machine-gun officer, as I gather from his
occasional remarks, is asleep as usual.

And now the gramophone has ceased; but, alas! Captain d'Arcy has
begun--on the piano. As I write, the scheme of communication
between his right and his left flanks has broken down. Like a
prudent officer, he suspends operations, gives the "stand-fast!" and
sends out a cautious patrol to reconnoitre the position. He even cedes
a little of the ground he has gained. Glancing at his music, I must
admit that he is in a dangerous situation, heavily wooded in the
treble, with sudden and sharp elevations and depressions in the bass,
and the possibility of an ambush at every turn. His reconnoitring
party returns; he starts to move forward again with scouts always in
advance. He halts; he advances again and proceeds (for he too is a
trained soldier) by short rushes about five bars at a time.... At
last the situation develops and he pauses to collect all his
available forces and get them well in hand