“Yes, father; he asked us to speak for him.”
“Well, and are you going to?” said the Major.
“Yes, sir; I should like you and my father to give him another trial.”
“But you don’t like the man, Gwyn,” said the Colonel.
“No, father—not at all; but I don’t like to be prejudiced.”
“And you, Joe,” said the Major, “don’t you want to be prejudiced?”
“No, father; Ydoll here has put it so that I’m ready to back him up. Dinass says he wants to get on, and doesn’t like the idea of leaving a good rich mine.”
“Humph!” said the Colonel. “We don’t want to dismiss men—we want to engage them. What do you say, Jollivet; shall we give him another trial?”
“I think so,” said the Major. “He’s a big, strong, well set up fellow. Pity to drum a man out of the regiment who may be useful.”
“Yes,” said the Colonel, sharply. “Well, Gwyn, perhaps we have been too hard on him. He is not popular with the other men, but he may turn out all right, and we can’t afford to dismiss a willing worker; so you may tell him that, at the interposition of you two boys, we will cancel the dismissal, and he can stay on.”