I nodded, thinking to myself that this young man would never make "an
Eye-Witness with Headquarters," whatever else the fortunes of war might
bring him.
"Well, that evening we were out scouting, trying to find out where a
party of cavalry had got to that had been reported coming out from
King's Langley to take us by surprise, and when I got to a cottage with
its blinds down and a light inside I peeped in, and there were two or
three people, and she was there, and, of course, I had to knock to ask
if any cavalry had gone by."
"And she didn't come to the door!"
"No, you're right there; somebody else did, but I heard my one--I mean
the Jersey one--I mean the Yellow one--ask somebody that riddle; but the
person--the sister or whatever she was who came to the door--finished me
off before I heard the answer, and somehow or other it's been running
through my head ever since. It isn't the girl, you know, it's--it's the
aggravation of it. I asked our sergeant the other day and he doesn't
know. One of these days I shall be giving it as an order--'Deaf section!
Tickle nine children!' Do you--do you know who lives in that cottage?"
"Nobody."
"But she--they were there that night."
"Yes, but they don't really live there. We call them the Swallows
because they migrate so much. Baby Swallow is very pretty, isn't she?
and, by-the-by, she's rather afraid that you may be worrying about that
riddle."
"Me--I?"
This was the moment for which I had been waiting, but the wee lieutenant
took cover, hunting his dessert fork on the floor long after Maria had
brought up reinforcements.
"Why, yes, she ought to have said, 'dumb,' not 'deaf.' I've forgotten
the answer--something about 'gesticulate.' She's coming to tea with me
to-morrow. Would you like me to ask her what the answer is, and write it
down for you?"
Our hostess gave the signal for our half company to retire, the other
half to stay down in the smoke, and I added, as I went out, "That will
lay the riddle nicely, won't it? If it had been the girl and not the
aggravation, I should have asked you to tea too."
The wee lieutenant surrendered at that, blushing above the door-handle.
"I--I--I say, I should like to get the answer first-hand. Won't you ask
me to tea, please?"
I don't yet know what it feels like to capture a prisoner of war, but
that's how I assisted at the taking of a prisoner of love.
* * * * *
Illustration:
_The Jester._ "HALLO, SONNY! CHOOSIN' YER TURKEY?"
_Diminutive Patriot._ "GARN! YER DON'T CATCH ME 'AVIN' TURKEY THESE
DAYS. WY, I'D AS SOON EAT A GERMAN SAUSAGE!"
* * * * *