But all those plain soldiers, of whom only one or two per cent had even a voice in their entertainment, of what they thought, who knows? Dormer wondered. He wondered even more at himself. Why on earth, in the midst of a European War that had changed his whole existence so dramatically, he should want to go bothering his head about what was happening to other people he couldn’t think, but he went on doing it. Otherwise the life suited him rather well, and with every fresh week that separated him from the offensive, a sort of balance so natural to the thoroughly balanced sort of person that he was, went on adjusting itself, and he found himself thinking that perhaps in the new year there might be a new chance, the French, the Russians, the Italians might do something, so might we. Then it would be over, and one could go home. It was then that the inevitable happened. He knew it as soon as he got into the room at the Mairie that served for Q. office. He was so sure that he stood turning over the correspondence on his desk, the usual pile of returns, orders, claims and indents, without reading them, certain that the Colonel was going to speak to him. At last the Colonel did speak: “Look here, Dormer, I thought we settled this?” There it was, the blue questionnaire form, the other memorandums, Divisional, Corps, Army French Mission, Base Authority, all saying “Passed to you please, for necessary action.” With an absurd feeling that it did not matter what he said, or did, and that the whole thing was arranging itself without him, he got out: “What is that, sir?” “This--er--civilian claim for compensation. Something about a girl in a hayfield. What did you do, when we were up in Flanders?” He rebelled so against the unfairness of it. “Major Stevenage had the matter in hand. I went with him to the spot.” “What did you find?” “It was not what I--you--we thought, sir. The words ‘_La Vierge_’ were intended to convey that a shrine had been damaged.” “A shrine? Really. How odd the French are? It was accidental, was it? Bad driving?” “No, sir, not exactly. A driver wanted shelter for his mules----” “Quite right, quite right.” “So he broke into the shrine----” “Ah, that was a mistake, of course. Whatever were his unit about to let him?” “The matter was not reported until later.” “Then they placed him under arrest and stoppages?” “They were moved immediately, sir. But I didn’t gather that any action was taken.” “But when Major Stevenage found it out?” “It had happened so long before that he thought it was impossible to pursue the matter. So I made a report and sent it to the proper authority, to see if an ex. gratia payment could be made.” “And they have done nothing, of course. So the French Mission have dug it up again.” “Indeed, sir.”