everything. And women ... oh, my God, the way they treat women! I've
seen German officers ... I've seen 'em myself ... chaps that are
supposed to be gentlemen ... going along the street, and shoving women
off the pavement!..."

"You know," said Perkins, "I don't really think much of the Germans
myself. I mean to say, they got no initiative. That's what's the matter
with 'em. Do you know what a German does when he wants to go across the
street? He goes up to a policeman and asks him. And what does the
policeman do? Shoves him off the pavement!... I'd break his jaw for him
if he shoved me!"

They stayed on, wondering sometimes why they stayed, and then at
midnight, a troop train steamed into the station, and a crowd of tired
soldiers alighted from the carriages and prepared to embark.

"My God, it's begun!" said Perkins. "Where you chaps going to?" he asked
of a soldier.

"I dunno," the soldier answered. "Ireland, I think. I 'eard we was goin'
to put down these bleedin' Orangemen that's bin makin' so much fuss
lately, but some'ow I don't think that's it. 'Ere, mate," he added,
thrusting a dirty envelope into Perkins's hand. "That's my wife's
address. I 'adn't time to write to 'er ... we was sent off in a 'urry
... you might just drop 'er a line, will you an' say I'm off!..."

"Right you are," said Perkins.

"Tell 'er I think I'm off to France, see, on'y I don't know, see!
There's a rumour we're goin' to Ireland, but I don't think so. You
better tell 'er that. An' I'm all right, see. So far any'ow!..."

"God!" said Perkins, as the soldiers moved towards the transport,
"don't it make you feel as if you wanted to cry!..."

In the morning, they knew that England had declared war on Germany.

"Of course," said Gilbert, "we couldn't keep out of it. We simply had to
go in!"

They had gone down to the bay to bathe. "This'll be my last," Gilbert
muttered as they stripped, "for a while anyhow!"

"But you're not going yet," Henry said.

"I think so," Gilbert replied. "I don't know how the trains are running,
but I shall try to get back to London to-night."

"But why?..."

"Oh, I expect they'll need chaps. Don't you think they will?"

"Do you mean you're going to ... enlist?"

"Yes. That seems the obvious thing to do. They're sure to need people,"
Gilbert answered.

"I suppose so," said Henry.

"I don't quite fancy myself as a soldier, Quinny. I'm not what you'd
call a bellicose chap. I shan't enjoy it very m