So Tiny came to the whitewash shed, where the Fellows were now, eating more and complaining louder than ever.
Then when Tiny had counted them, he said,
"But where's the Colonel?"
So the brown Captain answered,
"In bed—bad with shock."
And all the Fellows said in a sort of a chorus,
"Bed—bad with shock."
And some said it was one thing; and some said it was another; and a good lot said it was neither. But they all agreed that Cooey had come from the Castle in the dawn with a writing, and had fluttered up to the Colonel, who was helping the Boy soap Goliath; and that after reading the writing the Colonel had taken to his bed without a word.
Then Tiny, who loved the Colonel, because he was so red and round and thought nice of everybody, ran up the ladder to the loft: for the Colonel always lives above the shed in that Army to be handy.
And when Tiny had undone the trap-door, and peeped through, there lay the dear old Colonel in bed in the dark corner under the cobweb, quite quite bald.