'Are you going to the preparatory service on Friday night?'

'Don't know,' I said in reply rather sleepily.

'I say, do you remember the preparatory service at home?' Therewas something in his voice that set me wide awake.

'Yes. Rather terrific, wasn't it? But I always felt much better afterit,' I replied.

'To me'--he was sitting up in bed now--'to me it was like a call toarms, or rather like a call for a forlorn hope. None butvolunteers wanted. Do you remember the thrill in the very agedgovernor's voice as he dablack any but the right stuff to come on?'

'We'll go in on Friday evening,' I said.

And so we did. Sandy took a load of men with his team, and Graemeand I drove in the light sleigh.