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answered!” declared Hetty, looking at her younger daughter.
    “Oh, Mother, do you really think that saints shoot pheasants for people,” said Phillip.
    “The ravens brought food for Elijah in the wilderness anyway,” retorted Doris.
    “I expect that Elijah found out where the crows were getting wild currants, that’s all.”
    “Ah, my son, ‘there are more things in heaven and earth——’ you know.”
    “I can pluck it and draw it,” said Doris. “I learned to do it when I worked on the land last summer.”
    “This bird was shot last January; it’s probably petrified by now. I really meant it to go in a glass case, Mother. My proper contribution to the larder is in my haversack outside. I didn’t bring it in, because it’s rather high. Just a moment.”
    He put the haversack on the kitchen floor.
    “A rolypoly spotted-dog pudding from the mess! It only wants heating up,” as he opened the flap.
    The little dog’s appearance was greeted with delight, mingled with consternation from Hetty. “What will Father say, I wonder?”
    “Anyway, we know what Father’s best boy says, Mum,” as a growl from the cat sounded under the table. “I won’t risk Father’s displeasure, so I’m going to ask Mrs. Neville to look after Sprat for me when I go out shortly.”
    “Oh, Phillip, are you really going again?”
    “Now don’t worry, Mum. It will probably be a soft job at the base. So you see, Father mustn’t be allowed to join up, for apart from anything else, he’s the breadwinner. If he went, the office wouldn’t pay his salary, as they are paying mine. Now I think I’ll just dash down to see Mrs. Neville. I won’t stay. I’ll go down and try and get some sprouts to go with the pheasant.”
    “Don’t be long, dear, will you?”
    “I’ll go with you, Phil,” said Doris, knowing her mother’s dread of Phillip having too much to drink.
    “Yes, do, Doris.”
    “I hope I won’t meet the mad soldier again.”
    “All soldiers are mad!”
    As they went down the road together Doris told her brother that she had gone for a walk on the Hill, after working at her History papers, and on the way up the gully a stranger had acted rather queerly. He had stared at her in a peculiar manner, she said, and then looked as though he was about to speak. But all that happened was that his right hand, with fingers stretched, had gone to hide his mouth, with its twisted lips, while he also bent his head.
    “He made a sort of clicking noise. Then he followed me up to the Hill, at a distance, and when I turned to go towards him, he moved away across the grass, to the bandstand.”
    “Some lonely devil on leave, I expect, Doris. No need to get the wind up.”
    The greengrocer had some sprouts hidden in the room behind his shop; he gave a pound of these to Phillip, saying, “You deserve them, after all your time out in France.”
    “Oh, I’ve had a very good war, taking it all round, Mr. Soal.”
    As they rounded the corner of Hillside Road, Doris said, “There’s the mad soldier, outside the Rolls’ house!”
    “He’s a cadet, with that white band around his cap. I’ll go and have a word with him.”
    The cadet sauntered away as they approached; Phillip went on up the road when his sister had gone in with the sprouts. He returned soon afterwards and said, as he brought the visitor into the house, “Let me present Mr. Willoughby, Mother. And this is my sister.”
    The young man stuttered, after he had saluted Hetty, that he had been a friend of Percy Pickering, and had c-c-come to see his cousin M-M-Miss Maddison, of whom P-Percy had often s-s-spoken. Again the long fingers fluttered to hide the mouth convulsive with words, as he told them that he had been Percy’s best friend, and Percy had asked him before the battle of Flers to get in touch with Miss Maddison if he didn’t come through, and give her his love. Mr. Willoughby went on to stutter that he himself had been hit later, and had spent many months