26O IDLEHURST : 



his boy Peter is destined. The Rector gives Peter 

 a little coaching : he is a fine upstanding lad, but 

 slow with his algebra. 



" Do you think he gets on, Lewknor ? " asks 

 the General, a little anxiously : the shadow of 

 the coming "shots" and failures for Woolwich is 

 already upon him. " My father only gave me my 

 uniform and his blessing," he says ; " and as to 

 exams., well, I think I had to sign my name to 

 something. Now, what with the crammers and the 

 exams,, I tell you, sir, I really dread the next few 

 years more than I can say." 



u When he gets through," I say, " I suppose you 

 would wish him to go to India ? " 



" Oh, of course," answers the soldier. 



"And," suggests the Rector, with perhaps an 

 obscure hint of consolation for coming failure, "if 

 there should be trouble on the frontier, he might be 

 sent up to the front, and perhaps be hit in his first 

 action." 



" He'll never get the chance ! " sighs the General, 

 mournfully, with that barrier of Trigonometry before 

 his eyes, to withhold his boy from the paternal career 

 and his rightful chance of a bullet. 



Still the guns rumbled intermittently, and we 



