"There he is by the bookstall," muttered Mr. Pigott. "Envying the men who are going to fight his battles! I know him."
Alf, indeed, who had clearly recovered from the first shock of war, was very much to the fore, modest, fervent, the unassuming patriot. Now he approached his brother with a mixture of wariness and manly frankness.
"Will you shake 'ands, Ernest?" he asked.
"I will not," said Ern. "It was you who done the dirty on our Lal."
"Never!" cried Alf and came a step closer. "I'll tell you who it were." He nodded stealthily in the direction of Joe. "That's the chap that's out to spoil your home. Wrecker I call him. I tell you what, Ern," he whispered. "I'll watch out against him for you while you are away so you don't suffer."
"I thank you," said Ern, unmoved.
Just then Joe came up, took him by the arm, and bustled him off to the departure platform.
"You'll be late else, ma lad," said the engineer.