"An' tell Eustace to.... Lumme, you must be wakin' up, Alf. Why, it'll mean us 'avin' about three days extra leave. Come on!" They strolled casually along the line without exciting comment or interest on the part of their fellow-travelers scattered about the line, and when the train started these were much too busily occupied in scrambling back to their own places to notice that two of their number had unostentatiously slipped behind a culvert. The train puffed off busily; after it had gone a hundred yards or so a head appeared at one of the windows. "Keep down," cried Bill. "It's the gunner--wonder what 'e'll do with our kits?" The question was hardly out of his mouth before it was answered. The gunner--obviously a creature of impulse--was seen to push the two packs and rifles of his late companions out of the window of the train. "Nice fool 'e'd 'ave looked if we'd been on the train arter all, in another carriage," said Bill. "Still, p'raps it's just as well to 'ave the things. Now for Blighty." Alf removed the black covering which still shrouded his talisman. "Better wait till the train's out o' sight," said Bill. "She seems to be gettin' really started at last.... I s'pose there'll be plenty o' beer in your new 'ouse?" "If there ain't we'll jolly soon 'ave some. Tell you what, Bill: 'Ow'd it be to 'ave one room in the 'ouse rigged up as a bar. We c'd 'ave proper sanded floors, an' a barmaid, an'--an' no closing time. Just for you an' me, so's we could 'ave a drink any ole time. Make it seem more 'omelike, wouldn't it?" Bill stared at him in hopeless disgust. "An' I thought you was beginnin' to think!" he said. "This fair takes the biscuit. What low ideas you do 'ave! Why whatever'd the wife think, an' your swell neighbors? You'll 'ave to be'ave like a gentleman, you know, when you marries a lady." "'Ow'm I goin' to do that?" "I'll teach yer. You trust me." "You! An' 'ow d'you know?" "I do know. It's easy enough. Never you fear, I'll look after you." Alf, looking a little skeptical, returned to the subject nearest his heart. "Well, then, when'll I be able to get a drink when I'm a gentleman?" "Why, you can 'ave 'em all day long. You sits in one easy chair an' me in another, an' a footman brings us whatever we wants." "Lumme! A footman?" "O' course. An' then, in the evenin', we 'as a reg'lar slap-up spread every day of our lives, with your missus in laces an' diamonds: an' then when she's finished 'er supper she goes off an' leaves us to finish the drinks." "'Ow d'you know she will?" "They always does. 'Aven't you been to no plays, nor read no books? Lucky you'll 'ave me to keep you straight. 'Ullo, the ole train's pretty near out o' sight now. 'Adn't we better ...?" Alf, his hand shaking excitedly, rubbed his Button. Eustace appeared. "That 'ouse," said Alf. "It's still all right about that, I s'pose?"