It might be true, as the men believed, that Captain Malet and the chaplain had been able to intervene in his favour; and that would seem to imply that there were some extenuating circumstances. There was no one who grudged him a reprieve; but naturally enough they were reserved about him. A man who had deserted on the Somme, and had got as far as Rouen, and had eluded the military police for six months, could not be entirely a fool; and after one glance at that weak mouth and the furtive cunning of those eyes, Bourne distrusted him. The men were right, too, about his physical characteristics; he had the look of a Hun. One turned away from the question. Bourne, lying next to him that night, and tired after the long day, fell asleep almost at once. When he woke a few hours later the prisoner was sleeping quietly beside him, and then Bourne himself slept again. In the morning the prisoner was still there.

Bourne did not watch him the following night. At two o’clock, when they paraded in the open space in front of the village inn, Bourne, Shem, and Martlow were told to fall out; and when the rest of the Company moved off, Sergeant-Major Robinson told them that they were to go to the Signals Section for instruction. He talked to Bourne alone, sending the other two to get their equipment.

‘I’m rather sorry you’re goin’, but they’re short of signallers. You made me wild the other day, talkin’ like that to an officer. I knew you couldn’t ’elp not ’avin’ a proper ’at; but you shouldn’t ’ave said anything. You ought to put in for a commission, as Captain Malet told you.’

‘Well, I’m going to put in for one. Why do they want to send me to the sigs? It seems to be the principle of the army, to find out something you can’t do, and make you do it.’

‘I ’eard the adjutant said you seemed to ’ave some sense. ’e mentioned you, an’ as they wanted three men, I told the captain Shem were pretty quick-witted, an’ Martlow young enough to learn.’

‘That was decent of you, Sergeant-Major. I’m sorry I made you wild the other day. I didn’t have any intention of making you wild. I thought it time I kicked a bit.’

‘You ought to ’ave shown more sense. I know you don’t want to leave the company.’

‘I don’t mind now, Sergeant-Major. I’m sorry to go, for many reasons, but I don’t feel the same way about it now. I decided the other day that I should take Captain Malet’s advice. I haven’t any wish to be an officer, but if I were to stay any longer in the ranks I should become a slacker. He’s quite right.’

‘Well, you had better buzz off an’ get your pack,’ said the sergeant-major. ‘I suppose as soon as you put in for a commission you will come back for a bit as a lance-corporal. Did you know Major Blessington was leaving to go to his own battalion tonight? Major Shadwell will be in command until the new Colonel comes tomorrow or the nex’ day.’