“Yes, sir; I’m better now,” said the lad, hurriedly. “I am sorry to have been so much trouble.”
“Who are you?—what’s your name?” said the colonel, sharply.
“Smithson—Dick Smithson, sir,” said the lad, feeling the blood come hotly into his cheeks as he spoke; and his face grew hotter, for he could see at a glance that he was not believed.
“What brought you here?” continued the colonel.
“I came to enlist, sir,” said Dick, quickly.
“And the sergeant would not have you because you were too boyish, eh?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Quite right, too! Where do you come from?”
There was no reply, and the colonel frowned.
“Where are you going to-night?”