"I never gave you credit for much brains, Carrie, but how it was you let your brother grow up like this is more than I can tell."
Although this all sounded serious, Bob did not feel at all alarmed. Carrie, however, thought that her uncle was greatly vexed, and tried to take up the cudgels in his defence.
"I am sure Bob does not mean any harm, uncle."
"I did not say that he did, niece; but if he does harm, it comes to the same thing.
"Well, we need not talk about that now. So I hear that you are going out to the Mediterranean?"
"Yes, uncle, to Gibraltar. It is a nice station, everyone says, and I am very pleased. There are so many places where there is fighting going on, now, that I think we are most fortunate in going there. I was so afraid the regiment might be sent either to America, or India."
"And I suppose you would rather have gone where there was fighting, O'Halloran?"
"I would," the officer said, promptly. "What is the use of your going into the army, if you don't fight?"
"I should say, what is the use of going into the army, at all?" Mr. Bale said, testily. "Still, I suppose someone must go."
"I suppose so, sir," Captain O'Halloran said, laughing. "If it were not for the army and navy, I fancy you trading gentlemen would very soon find the difference. Besides, there are some of us born to it. I should never have made a figure in the city, for instance."