n two or three hours out of the twenty-four,
whereas the work of a civilian in a large district literally never
ends, unless he puts a resolute stop to it. What with seeing people from
morning until night, and riding about and listening to complaints, every
hour of the day is occupied, and then at night there are reports to
write and documents of all sorts to go through. It is a great pity that
there cannot be a better division of work, though I own I don't see how
it is to be managed."

By this time they were walking towards the lines.

"I should not mind taking a share of the civil work at the station,"
Captain Doolan said, "if they would make our pay a little more like that
of the civilians."

"There is something in that, Doolan," the Doctor agreed; "it is just
as hard work having nothing to do as it is having too much; and I have
always been of opinion that the tremendous disproportion between the pay
of a military man and of a civilian of the same age is simply monstrous.
Well, goodnight, Doolan; I hope you will tell Mrs. Doolan that the
credit is entirely due to me that you are home at the reasonable hour of
one o'clock, instead of dropping in just in time to change for parade."

"A good fellow," the Doctor said, as he walked on with Bathurst; "he
would never set the Thames on fire; but he is an honest, kindly fellow.
He would make a capital officer if he were on service. His marriage has
been an excellent thing for him. He had nothing to do before but to pass
away his time in the club or mess house, and drink more than was good
for him. But he has pulled himself round altogether since he married.
His wife is a bright, clever little woman, and knows how to make the
house happy for him; if he had married a lackadaisical sort of a woman,
the betting is he would have gone to the bad altogether."

"I only met him once or twice before," Bathurst said. "You see I am not
here very often, and when I am it is only on business, so I know a very
few people here except those I have to deal with, and by the time I have
got through my business I am generally so thoroughly out of temper with
the pig headed stupidity and obstinacy of people in general, that I get
into my buggy and drive straight away."

"I fancy you irritate them as much as they irritate you, Bathurst. Well,
here we are; now we will have a quiet cheroot and a peg, to quiet our
nerves after all that din, before we turn in. Let us get off our coats
and collar