"Yes, that's an idea," said Jack thoughtfully. And after a pause, "And you can tell us nothing about our mother, Mr. Eager?"
"No. You were ten years old, you know, when we met for the first time and you stole all my clothes. What a couple of absolute little savages you were!"
"We had jolly good times----"
"We've had better since," said Jack. "If you hadn't come to live here we might have been savages all our lives."
"You must do me all the credit you can. At one time I had hoped to become a soldier myself."
"Jolly good thing for us you didn't," said Jim. "But haven't you been sorry for it ever since, Mr. Eager?"
"There are higher things even than soldiering," smiled Eager. "If I can help to make two good soldiers instead of one, then England is the gainer."
"We'll jolly well do our best," said Jim.
And so they had arrived at a portion of the problem of their house, and bore it lightly.
And as to the grim remainder--"It would only uselessly darken both their lives," said Eager to himself. "We must leave it to time, and that is only another name for God's providence."