On the morning of November 27th I awoke to find my chest covered with a
pretty pink pattern. It blended so well with the colour of my
pyjama-jacket that for some minutes I was lost in admiration of the
pleasing effect. Then it occurred to me that coming diseases cast their
rashes before them, and I sprang from the bed in an agony of
apprehension. I rushed to the mirror and opened my mouth to look at my
tongue. There it was. I took some of it out. It looked quite healthy, so
I put it back again. Then I gazed long and earnestly down my throat. It
was quite hollow as usual. Next I got the clinical thermometer and
sucked it for quite a long time. When I removed it I saw my temperature
was about 86. Then I found I was reading it upside down and that I was
only normal. I felt disappointed. After that I tried my pulse. It took
me some time to locate it, but it hadn't run down; it was still going
quite regularly--_andante ma non troppo_, two beats in the bar. I
whistled "Tipperary" to it, and it kept perfect time.
But still the rash remained. It would neither get out nor get under. I
felt perfectly well, and yet I knew I must be ill. I could not
understand the complete absence of other symptoms.
At last a bright idea struck me. It was just possible that I might
refuse food. I knew that would be a symptom. At any rate I would go down
to breakfast and see. I dressed rapidly; I simply tore my clothes on to
me. I shaved hastily; I literally tore the whiskers out of me. Then I
tore down-stairs.
On the table was an egg. I removed the lid and looked inside. It was
full of evil odours. I refused it. Then I knew for certain I was ill. I
tore back to my bedroom and tore off my clothes. I unshaved. I tumbled
into bed and tried hard to shiver. I tried so hard that I perspired. As
I was really ill I knew that I had to get hot and cold alternately ever
so many times. I did my best to live up to all the symptoms I had ever
heard of. I tried to get delirious and talk nonsense, but I failed
ignominiously. How I cursed my public school education!
In my extremity I even endeavoured to imagine that I saw things which
were not there....
And then I saw something which really was there. It was my pin-cushion.
It looked unusually crowded even for a pin-cushion, and I got out of bed
to investigate the matter closer. I counted forty-five--yes,
forty-five--little flags, and then memory came back to me. The previous
day I had bought forty-five miniature Belgian flags at one time and
another during the day. Each charming but inexperienced vendor had
insisted on pinning my purchase wherever there happened to be an
unoccupied space on my manly (thanks to my tailor) bosom. I remembered
being conscious of a prickly sensation on each occasion, but I
attributed it to rapturous thrills running about the region of my heart.
To make sure that my explanation was correct I went once again to the
mirror and hastily counted my rash. There were forty-five of it!
* * * * *
"HUGE GERMAN SURRENDERS."
_"Evening Standard" Poster._
Probably he had eaten too many sausages.
* * * * *
Illustration: Flag-bearer. "FEEL COLD, AN' WANT YER SHIRT, DO YER?
GARN! WHERE'S YER PATRIOTISM?"
* * * * *