“Being a man,” he said, “I ’ave my feelings, and I don’t discuss family matters with no one. But a human being I was bred up with has wronged your wife, and, situated as we are now, I consider I ought to say to you that I was sorry. Mind you, I’m not saying that I’m sorry now.

“Don’t misinterpret me,” he went on, “there’s nothing personal about it. But any system that can send an unfortunate woman into what is jail really, is vile, a filthy system. I know it hasn’t anything to do with you, but they told me I must sign her away like a bit of furniture or they would prosecute. So I did sign, underneath two doctors I ’ad to give a dollar each to. That’s why I’m not sorry now. Not because of the money, no, but the disgrace, the force majewer.”

Roe forbore to reply.

“Of course,” Pye went on again, “in the station, while you was in the class, there was no cause to speak. But I want you to know that it won’t make any difference you’re being in my substation. There’s many in the Brigade would never allow a man beneath them, as you’re beneath me now right enough, to forget a thing like that. Well, I’m not like that, I’m a man who has educated ’imself. Take education, what is education? I say it is a man’s capability to see rightly for ’isself. I see my mother’s daughter, in a manner of speaking, has wronged your wife, and has not been given leave, or I should say permitted, by the system we live under, to put it right.”

An infinite sensation of tiredness, made fluid by the beer he had drunk flowed over Richard together with the certainty that he could never make this man realise what had passed, mixed with relief at the fact that Pye did not know everything. But he was anxious to keep on the right side so he said a few words to the effect that whatever happened before the war was best forgotten. He ended by calling him sir.

“Don’t call me sir, Dick, but sub. Only Station Officers and above are entitled to a sir.”

Roe took heart at this use of the christian name and was glad, when the round came up, to find Pye buying him a drink. In a way it was salt that had passed between them.

After Pye left him Richard noticed he was going from one Auxiliary to another, and realised that he was making himself pleasant to each man in turn.

Piper came back. Richard bought him another drink. The old soldier never paid a round. Knowing he was being sponged on, Richard had now to listen to a rambling account of the old man’s fears.