“I say, Doctor, he’s been hospital orderly before: send him to attend on me.”
The Doctor frowned, and hesitated.
“Oh, very well. He might do that. He was as mad as you are two days ago, and wanted to go off with his company.”
“Send him in at once, Doctor.”
“For you two to talk too much? There, I’ll see.”
A couple of hours later Peter Pegg entered Archie’s quarters, looking very hollow-cheeked and sallow, and displaying a head that had been operated upon by the regimental barber till there was nothing more left to cut off, and stood holding the door a little way open, and showing his teeth in a happy grin.
“Ah, Pete! I wanted you,” cried Archie.
“Did you, sir? Here I am, then. Doctor says I am to do anything you want, only you are not to talk.”
“All right, Pete. Then tell me, what’s being done?”
“Three detachments is out, sir—one under Captain Down, one under Mr Durham, another under old Tipsy.”