‘Doesn’t seem to like us much,’ said Shem, in a pleased voice.

‘No bloody love lost, then,’ said Martlow stoically.

‘He’s all right,’ said Bourne. ‘In fact, I think he’s probably a nice chap, only he doesn’t know us, and somebody has been telling him that we need watching. Did you hear what he said about the regimental? I don’t think I have spoken to the regimental since we were at Beaumetz, except to say good-morning, sir, if I passed him. The corporal will be all right in a couple of days, you’ll see. Mr Rhys is a pretty difficult proposition, I believe; a nice chap, but liable to cut up rough any morning when he happens to have a fat head. He and Mr Pardew are boozing-chums, you know: when they get canned up they get canned up together; and when I was in the orderly-room I used to notice that whenever Mr Rhys was ratty with the signallers, Mr Pardew was ratty with the snipers. Isn’t it nice to think we’ve got three-quarters of a bottle of good Scotch whisky?’

‘We want to keep that, until we can have a quiet beano on our own. We’ll have what I put in your cooker for tea, and we’ll have another tot at tea-time tomorrow, then it will last three or four days. We can get something at the estaminet. Mind you don’t pull it out with your overcoat. Put a sock round it, and then keep your towel on top of it.’

‘It’ll look dam’ funny ’im pullin’ ’is coat out ev’ry time ’e wants ’is tow’l, won’t it?’ Martlow suggested. ‘It’ll be all right in a sock.’

Bourne proved to be right about the corporal, who may have watched them with a little suspicion for two or three days, but by that time had become more favourable towards them. They had to begin at the beginning; learning the Morse code, flagwagging, a succession of acks, and practice on the buzzer. Martlow, whose whole wit lay in his quick teachable senses, was easily the best pupil, and Bourne the least satisfactory of the three, Shem having considerably greater power of applying himself to the matter in hand. Madeley, one of the signallers usually on duty in the orderly-room, had become friendly with Bourne there, though they only saw each other casually. Perhaps he helped to correct Corporal Hamley’s point of view. On their part, they liked their work and the men in their section.

Their first day the whole battalion paraded at nine o’clock in the main street at Reclinghem, and Major Shadwell made a brief inspection of them. It was really extraordinary, but one could not help being struck by the changed feeling among the men, as he passed along the ranks. It was not simply that they liked him, but he belonged to them, he belonged to their own earth. His rather stern and uncompromising manner did not matter a damn to them. It was the general opinion that here was a man who should be sent home on a senior officers’ course, and then come back and command them for the duration. It was not that he was popular among them as other officers were: their feeling towards him was not without affection, but had more in it of appreciation and respect.