Captain Pringle led the way to a small room which he evidently used as an office. To all appearance he was in authority at the station. "I'm rather surprised to see you here, Nancarrow," he said, when he had taken his seat behind a business-looking desk, and pointed Bob to a chair. "I'm rather surprised myself, sir." "What have you been doing since I saw you last?" Bob told him. "And now you want to enlist?" "If I can, sir." "What as?" "Anything, sir. For the front, if it is possible. I want to be at it." The Captain smiled at Bob's eagerness. "But, my dear chap," he said, "this is surely a big change for you. If I remember aright, you joined the O.T.C. only to please your mother, and you hated soldiering and all its doings as you hated the devil." "I expect I do still, sir; but--but I am afraid it would take too long to explain why--why I feel I must go to the front. I've had a bad time in one way and another. You see, my father was a Quaker, and I was brought up to believe in his teachings. I do still, for that matter. War is hell, there's no doubt about that. But I've gone through the whole business, and now I want to be at it. I don't want to stay in England five minutes longer than I can help. I must get to the firing-line. I feel like a man who wants to kill a mad dog." "Commissions aren't so easily obtained." "I'm not troubling about a commission, sir. We can't be all officers, and I feel that all I ever learnt about soldiering would come back to me in a week. If I can help it, I don't want to be idling around in a barracks, or in camp; I just want to go to France as soon as ever I can. I'll do anything, be anything; I don't care what, so long as I can get into action." "That's the spirit," replied Captain Pringle; "and I can't tell you how glad I am to see you here. Of course I remember you when you were in the O.T.C. You did jolly well--distinguished yourself, in fact. You remember what I said to you." "Yes, sir, I remember very well." The Captain was silent for a few seconds. He seemed to be thinking deeply, as if he were uncertain what to say. "Naturally you know that even although you took a kind of double first in the O.T.C., in the ordinary course of things you would have to have further training before you could go into active service as a private." "That's what's bothering me, sir. I did think of joining one of the Public School or University Corps, but from what I can find out, they are kept down at Epsom or some such place. I suppose they are having a great time, and all that sort of thing; but, don't you see, that's not what I want! I mean business, Captain Pringle." The Captain started from his chair, and took two or three turns up and down the room. "You are really anxious for active service?" he said presently.