"Maggie!"—"Jack!"
Jack shook his head somewhat sadly, then burst into a merry laugh.
"O Mr. Sturdy, that is all to come. At present, I must admit, we are just pretty miserable, you know."
"Well, your cheeks look pretty hollow, anyhow."
"The best proof that I can give you," said Jack, "that we are not living in clover is, that the doctor here has ceased to look for specimens in his idle moments."
"Idle moments!" laughed the surgeon. "A lot of those we have. O Jack, Jack, I believe you would have your joke if we were taking you to the grave to bury you.—Been down for stores," he continued, in reply to a question of Sturdy's. "Yes, Sturdy, I've had to fight, too, for all I've got. But, man, the suffering of my poor fellows is so dreadful that—hang me if I wouldn't steal for them."
It wasn't often that honest Reikie made use of a questionable word; and as the tears stood in his eyes as he spoke, I think we must forgive him.
"I've been giving it to the fellows here all round," he added, "right and left, but I don't think it did much good."
Jack laughed heartily.