hich seemed an unnecessary fuss, and I was left in
peace. Captain C. was there as well and came over to the stretcher.

"I've broken both legs," I announced, "will I be able to ride again?"

"Of course you will," he said.

"Sure?" I asked.

"Rather," he replied, and I felt comforted.

I was then carried straight through ward I. into the operating theatre.
The men in bed looked rather startled, and Barratt, a man I had driven
and been visiting since, was near the door. What he said is hardly
repeatable. When the British Tommy is much moved he usually becomes
thoroughly profane! I waved to him as I disappeared through the door
into the theatre.

I was speedily undressed. Dicky appeared mysteriously from somewhere and
was a brick. The room seemed to be full of nurses and orderlies and then
I went slipping off into oblivion as the chloroform took effect (my
first dose and at that time very welcome) and at last I was in a land
where pain becomes obliterated in one vast empty space.

* * * * *

I woke that afternoon and of course wondered where I was. Everything
seemed to be aching and throbbing at once. I tried to move, but I felt
as if I was clamped to the bed. "This is terrible," I thought, "I must
be having a nightmare." Then I saw the cradle covering my legs. "What
could it be?" I wondered, and then in a flash the scenes of that morning
(or was it a week ago?) came back to me. I wondered if my back was all
right and felt carefully down the side. No, there was no bandage, and I
sighed with relief, though it ached like fury. I could feel the top of
the wooden splints on the one leg but nothing but bandages on the other.

My head had been sewn up, also my lip, and a nice tight bandage replaced
the hanky.

It was thumping wildly and presently an unseen figure gave me something
very cool to sip out of a feeding mug. Things straightened out a bit
after that, and I saw there were quantities of flowers in the room,
jugfuls in fact, which had been sent to cheer me along. Then something
in my leg, the one that was hurting most, gave a fearful tug and a jump
and I drew in my breath with a sobbing gasp. What could it be? It felt
just as if someone had tugged it on purpose, and it took ages to settle
down again. I looked mutely at my nurse for an explanation, and she put
a cool hand on mine.

It was the severed nerve, and I learnt to dread those involuntary jumps
that came so suddenly from