"I understand his name is in all the newspapers to-day," he said; "his mother must be proud of him."
"Oh, I wonder if she knows!" cried May.
"She does by this time if she did not before," Captain Basset answered, "for Aunt Ann has sent her niece Jane to tell her."
"Good Aunt Ann!" exclaimed Donald. "Fancy Dick Rumbelow, the scapegrace, winning the V.C.! Well, I'm glad!"
"So am I!" Captain Basset replied heartily; "I'm sure he deserves it. He must be a very brave man. As Uncle John says, the war has evidently brought out the best in him."
"Ah, it's a fine thing to be a soldier!" sighed Donald.
"We are all soldiers," Captain Basset answered, "and life's a stiff battle for us all if we're trying to fight the good fight. To some the battle is short, to others long, but, short or long, we shall win through to Victory if we trust in God. 'There hath not failed one word of all His good promise' and He has promised us peace after battle, perfect peace with Him."
Butler & Tanner Frome and London