(A Conversation—Purely Imaginary.)
SCENE—Pall Mall. Present, SECRETARY OF STATE and Military Adviser.
Mil. A. I want to know your ideas about the Autumn Manoeuvres. Are we to have any this year?
Sec. of S. (with a melancholy smile). That depends upon circumstances not entirely under my control.
Mil. A. Oh, yes; I know. But Governments may come and Governments may go, but the State flows on for ever. Whatever you commence they will have to carry out.
Sec. of S. Can we have these Manoeuvres without expense?
Mil. A. Well, scarcely. For instance, there is the ammunition.
Sec. of S. Oh, we can get over that! Every soldier, when he is supposed to fire, can say, "Bang!" or words to that effect. We might add the direction to the new Provisional Drill-Book.
Mil. A. (drily). Yes, you might; and it would prove about as useful as the other regulations in that remarkable volume! Well, suppose the difficulty of ammunition surmounted, what next?
Sec. of S. Well, I suppose we shall have to spend some money on the farmers for rights of way and the rest of it?