the capture of Badajoz; he had issued the celebrated Army Council
Instruction, "Commanding Officers are requested to replace the
pivots," which had demobilised MARLBOROUGH's army so speedily; and,
as is well known, HENRY V. had often said that without Jones--well,
anyhow, he had been in the War Office a long time. And William knew
him slightly.

So William sent up his card.

"I want to talk to somebody," he explained to Jones. "I can't manage
more than of couple of hours a day in the queue just now, because
I'm not very fit. If I could sit down somewhere and tell somebody all
about myself, that's what I want. Any room in the building where there
are no queues outside and two chairs inside. I'd be very much obliged
to you."

"I'll give you a note to Briggs," said Jones promptly. "He's the
fellow to get you out."

"Thanks _awfully_," said the overjoyed William.

A messenger girl took him and the note to Captain Briggs. Briggs
listened to the story of William's qualifications--or rather
disqualifications--and considered for a moment.

"Yes, we ought to get you out very quickly," he said.

"Good," said William. "Thanks _awfully_."

"Walters will tell you just what to do. He's a pal of mine. I'll give
you a note to him."

So in another minute the overjoyed William was following a messenger
girl to the room of Lieutenant Walters.

Walters was very cheerful. The thing to do, he said, was to go to
Sanders. Sanders would get him out in half-an-hour. He'd give William
a note, and then Sanders would do his best. The overjoyed William
followed the messenger girl to Sanders.

"That's all right," said Sanders a few minutes later. "We can get you
out at once on this. Do you know Briggs?"

"Briggs," said William, with a sudden sinking feeling.

"I'll give you a note to him. He knows all about it. He'll get you out
at once."

"Thank you," said William faintly.

He put the note in his pocket and strode briskly out in search of the
dear old queue.

"It will be quicker after all," he told himself, as he took his place
at the end of the queue next to a Lieutenant in the Manchesters.
("Don't crowd him," said a policeman to William; "he wants air.")

* * * * *

And you think perhaps that the story ends here, with William in the
queue again? Oh, no. William is a man of resource. The very next day
he met another friend, who said, "Hallo, aren't you out yet?"

"Not yet," said William.