"No, not yet. I want to walk up and down in the fresh air a bit."
"But the sun is terribly hot."
"Do you good," said Dickenson abruptly. "Let's go right to the end and
back three or four times."
"Bah!" said Lennox. "You want to do this so as to ostentatiously show
that you mean to keep friends with me."
"Suppose I do. I've a right to, haven't I?"
"Not to give me pain. It does. Help me to live it down quietly."
"Very well; if you like it better. But I say, you'll show up in the
mess-room to-night?"
"Why should I?"
"Because the place is wretched and the fare's--beastly. There, that
doesn't sound nice, but I must say it."
"I had rather stay away. It would only provoke what I should feel
cruelly, and I could not resent it."
"No, but I could; and if any one insults you by sending you to Coventry,
I'll provoke him. I suppose I mustn't punch my superior officer's head,
but off duty I can tell him what I think of him, and I'll let him have
it hot and strong."
"Then I shall stay away."
"No, you sha'n't. I will instead."
"That would be worse, Bob. Look here; I want you to help me to live
this charge down, to treat it with quiet contempt. If you make yourself
so fierce a partisan you will keep the wound sore and prevent it from
healing up."
"Very well, then; I'll give it a good chance. There, I promise you I
won't show my temper a bit; only play fair."
"In what way?"
"Don't turn upon me afterwards and call me a coward for not taking your
part."
"Never fear. I don't want you to get into hot water for my sake."
"My dear boy," said Dickenson, chuckling like a cuckoo in a coppice in
early spring, "that's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because I'm in hot water now with everybody, and have been ever since."
"I am sorry."
"And I am glad--jolly glad. Oh, don't I wish there was duelling still!"
"Haven't you killed enough men to satisfy you?" said Lennox sadly.
"More than enough. I don't want to kill brother officers, only to give
them lessons in manly faith. But bother that! I say: you promise to
come and take your place this evening?"
"Yes; I promise," said Lennox quietly.
"Then I'll tell you something. Roby's coming too."
"Roby!"
"Yes; for the first time since he got his wound."
Lennox was silent.
"There, I'm not going to try and teach you, old fellow," continued
Dickenson; "but if I were you I should ignore everything, unless the
boys do as they should do--meet you like men."
"Well," said Lennox, "we shall see."
That dinner-time came all too soon for Lennox, who had sat in his shabby
quarters thinking how wondrously quiet everything was, and whether after
what the colonel had hinted it was the calm preceding the storm.
"Come along," cried Dickenson, thrusting his head into the hut.
Lennox felt his heart sink as he thought of the coming meeting, for this
was the first time he had approached the mess-room since the night of
the attack upon the kopje. He winced, too, a little as he passed two
sentries, who seemed, he thought, to look curiously at him. But the
next moment his companion's rather boisterous prattle fell upon deaf
ears, for just in front, on their way to the mess-room, were Roby and
the doctor walking arm in arm, and then they disappeared through the
door.
"Oh, won't I punish the provisions when the war is over!" said
Dickenson. _Sniff, sniff_! "Ah! I know you, my friend, in spite of
the roasting. I'd a deal rather be outside you than you inside me. And
yet it's all prejudice, Drew, old man, for the horse is the cleanest and
most particular of vegetable-feeding beasts, and the pig is the
nastiest--cannibalistic and vile."
They passed through the door together, to find the colonel present, and
the other officers about to take their places. Roby had evidently not
been prepared for this, and he looked half-stunned when the doctor
turned from him, advanced to Lennox, and shook hands.
"I wish we had a better dinner in honour of my two convalescents."
"This is insufferable," said Roby in a voice choking with anger.
"Let that wait, doctor," said the colonel.
"Come along, Lennox," cried Dickenson, after darting a furious glance at
Roby. "Very, very glad to see you once more in your place."
No one else spoke for a few moments, and the dinner was about to be
commenced, when Roby suddenly rose to his feet.
"Colonel Lindley," he said, in a husky voice full of rage, "are you
aware who is present here this evening?"
"Yes, Captain Roby," said the colonel sternly. "I desired Mr Lennox,
now that he is convalescent, to return to his usual place at the
mess-table."
Roby's jaw dropped, and he stared at the officers around as if silently
asking them whether he heard aright. But every man averted his eyes and
assumed to be busy commencing the miserable meal.
"Well!" exclaimed Roby at last; and then in a tone which expressed his
utter astonishment: "Well."
"Sit down, Captain Roby," continued the colonel, raising his eyebrows as
he saw that his subordinate was still standing.
"I beg your pardon, sir," said Roby stiffly, after looking round in vain
for something in the way of moral support from his brother officers, who
all sat frowning at their portions.
"Yes?" said the colonel calmly.
"I have no wish to be insubordinate, but, speaking on behalf of all
present here, I desire to say that we feel it impossible to remain at
the table in company with one who--"
"That will do," said the colonel, fixing Dickenson with his eyes, for
that individual had suddenly given vent to a sound that was neither
sigh, grunt, ejaculation, nor snort, but something that might have been
the result of all these combined.
"I beg your pardon, sir?" said Roby hotly.
"I said that would do, Captain Roby," replied the colonel. "I did not
gather that you had been elected to speak for your brother officers upon
a subject about which I consider myself to be the proper arbiter.
Moreover, if any officer feels himself aggrieved respecting any one whom
I elect to join us at the mess-table, I am always open to hear his
complaint."
"But really, sir," began Roby indignantly, "this is an assembly of
honourable gentlemen."
"With an exception," growled Dickenson.
"Yes," cried Roby passionately, "with an exception--I may add, two
exceptions."
"Look here, Captain Roby," cried Dickenson, springing up, "do you mean
this as an insult to me?"
"Silence!" cried the colonel, rising in turn. "Mr Dickenson, resume
your seat."
Dickenson dropped down so heavily that the empty cartridge-box that
formed his seat cracked as if about to collapse.
"Captain Roby," said the colonel, "I beg that you will say no more now
upon this painful subject. Resume your seat, sir."
"Sir," said Roby, "I must ask your permission to leave the mess-table.
Whatever my brother officers may choose to do, I absolutely refuse to
sit at the same table with a--"
"Stop!" roared Dickenson, springing up again in a furious passion. "If
you dare to call my friend Lennox a coward again, court-martial or no
court-martial, I'll knock you down."
Every man now sprang to his feet as if startled by the sudden verbal
shell which had fallen amongst them. Then there was a dead silence,
till Lennox said huskily, "Will you give me your permission to return to
my quarters, sir?"
"No, Mr Lennox," said the colonel quietly. "Take your places again,
gentlemen.--Captain Roby--Mr Lennox--if we are alive and uninjured in
the morning I will see you both at my quarters with respect to this
painful business. To-night we have other matters to arrange. I have
just received trustworthy information that another reinforcement has
reached the enemy. I have doubled the number of scouts sent out, and as
soon as we have dined we have all our work to do in completing our
arrangements to meet what the Boers intend for their final attack.
Gentlemen, sit down. Our duty to our country first; minor matters of
discipline after."
There was a low buzz of excitement as every man resumed his seat, Roby
alone hesitating, but dropping sharply back into his place in unwilling
obedience to a sharp tug given at his tunic by the officers on either
side.
"What about your promise?" said Lennox in a whisper to Dickenson.
"Hang my promise!" growled his comrade. "Do you take me for a stump?"