Twyning appeared. "Hullo, old man, heard the latest? I say, you look as if you're ready to take on the whole world." CHAPTER V I The enormous and imponderable world awfully unbalanced. Upside down. Extraordinarily unreal. Furiously real. Life, which had been a thing of the clock and of the calendar, became a thing of events in which there was no time,--only events. Things began one day very shortly after the declaration of war when, passing the barracks on his way home, Sabre was accosted and taken into the Mess by Cottar, a subaltern of the Pinks. "You must come along in and have a cup of tea," young Cottar urged. "We've got a hell of a jamborino on. At least we shall have to-night. We're just working up for it. I can't tell you why. You can guess." Sabre felt a sudden catch at his emotions. "Is the regiment going?" They were at the door of the anteroom. Cottar swung it open. The room was full of men and tobacco smoke and noise. A very tall youth, one Sikes, was standing on the table, a glass in his hand. "Hullo, Sabre! Messman, one of those very stiff whiskies for Mr. Sabre--go on, Sabre, you must. Because--" He had not Cottar's reticence. He burst into song, waving his glass--"Because-- "We shan't be here in the morning--" They all took it up, bawling uproariously: We shan't be here in the morning, We shan't be here in the morning, We shan't be here in the mor-or-ning, Before the break of day! Otway came in. "Shut up, you noisy young fools. What the--" Sikes from the table. "Ah, Papa Otway! Three cheers for Papa Otway in very discreet whispers. Messman, one of those very stiff whiskies for Captain Otway." Otway laughed pleasantly. "No, chuck it, I'm not drinking. Hood, I want you; and you, Carmichael, and you, Bullen." He saw Sabre and came to him. "Hullo, Sabre. You've heard now. We've managed to keep it pretty close, but it's all over the place now. Yes, we entrain at daybreak." Sabre felt frightfully affected. He could hardly speak. "Good Lord. I can't realise it. I say, Otway, do you remember predicting this nearly two years ago? You said this would find us all unawares. You were one of the people every one laughed at." Precisely the same Otway who had spoken with such extraordinary intensity outside the Corn Exchange eighteen months before began to speak with extraordinary intensity now. "That? Oh, I don't give a damn for any of that now. This is our show now, Sabre. The Army's show. I don't give a damn for what happens at home now. This is our show. Sabre, you don't know what this is for me. I've lived for this, dreamt about it, thought about it, eaten it, drunk it ever since I was a kid at Sandhurst. Now it's come. By God, it's come at last!"