ice as clipped as his grey bottle-brush
moustache, "Delighted! Dinner's ready. Come along!"

Mr. Lavender saw that he had a mouth which seemed to have a bitt in
it; several hairs on a finely rounded head; and an air of efficient and
truculent bonhomie tanned and wrinkled by the weather.

The table at which they became seated seemed to one accustomed to
frugality to groan with flowers and china and glass; and Mr. Lavender
had hardly supped his rich and steaming soup before his fancy took fire;
nor did he notice that he was drinking from a green glass in which was a
yellow fluid.

"I get Army rations," said the Major, holding a morsel of fillet of beef
towards Blink. "Nice dog, Mr. Lavender."

"Yes," replied Mr. Lavender, ever delighted that his favourite should
receive attention, "she is an angel."

"Too light," said the Major, "and a bit too narrow in front; but a nice
dog. What's your view of the war?"

Before Mr. Lavender could reply he felt Aurora's foot pressing his, and
heard her say:

"Don Pickwixote's views are after your own heart, Dad; he's for the
complete destruction of the Hun."

"Indeed, yes," cried Mr. Lavender with shining eyes. "Right and justice
demand it. We seek to gain nothing!"

"But we'll take all we can get," said the Major.

"They'll never get their Colonies back. We'll stick to them fast
enough."

Mr. Lavender stared at him for a moment, then, remembering what he had
so often read, he murmured:

"Aggrandizement is not our object; but we can never forget that so
long as any territory remains in the hands of our treacherous foe the
arteries of our far-flung Empire are menaced at the roots."

"Right-o," said the Major, "we've got the chance of our lives, and we're
going to take it."

Mr. Lavender sat forward a little on his chair. "I shall never admit,"
he said, "that we are going to take anything, for that would be contrary
to the principles which we are pledged to support, and to our avowed
intention of seeking only the benefit of the human race; but our inhuman
foes have compelled us to deprive them of the power to injure others."

"Yes," said the Major, "we must just go on killing Germans and collaring
every bit of their property we can."

Mr. Lavender sat a little further forward on his chair, and the trouble
in his eyes grew.

"After all's said and done," continued the Major; "it's a simple war--us
or them! And in the long run it's bound to be us. We've got the cards."