“Grandfather, you and I have had a four years' agreement to work together in this office. It isn't up yet, but—but I want to break it. I want you to let me off.”
“Humph! . . . Let you off, eh? . . . What for?”
“That's what I came here to tell you. Grandfather, I can't stay here—now. I want to enlist.”
Captain Zelotes did not answer. His hand moved upward and pulled at his beard.
“I want to enlist,” repeated Albert. “I can't stand it another minute. I must. If it hadn't been for you and our promise and—and Madeline, I think I should have joined the Canadian Army a year or more ago. But now that we have gone into the war, I CAN'T stay out. Grandfather, you don't want me to, do you? Of course you don't.”
His grandfather appeared to ponder.
“If you can wait a spell,” he said slowly, “I might be able to fix it so's you can get a chance for an officer's commission. I'd ought to have some pull somewheres, seems so.”
Albert sniffed impatient disgust. “I don't want to get a commission—in that way,” he declared.
“Humph! You'll find there's plenty that do, I shouldn't wonder.”
“Perhaps, but I'm not one of them. And I don't care so much for a commission, unless I can earn it. And I don't want to stay here and study for it. I want to go now. I want to get into the thing. I don't want to wait.”