“Ah! you’ll alter your tone when I’ve reported you.”
“Look here, corp’ral; it strikes me that, with the row that’s coming on about you and the captain charging the officers with being cowards, there’s going to be such a shine and court-martial that you’ll have your work cut out to take care of yourself. Here, put your arm over my shoulder, and up you come.”
“Eh?” said the corporal in a much more natural tone.
“Eh—what?”
“About the court-martial?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I only said what I thought,” said the orderly, winking to himself. “Now then, up you come. Mind the water.”
He supported the corporal gently enough, and helped him to raise the water to his lips, watching him as he drained it, and then lowered him gently down and knelt, still looking at him, till the corporal gazed back at him wonderingly.
“What are you staring at?” he said sharply.
“You, old man.”
“Why?”