"So-o-o!" Ignace looked desperate but made no further objection. In fact he said little more that evening. Apparently losing all interest in his bunkies' new acquaintances, he retired to his cot and occupied himself in a laborious study of Roger's manual, which he had at last begun to "un'erstan'." When, at precisely two o'clock on Sunday afternoon the twin guests arrived and were presently conducted in triumph to Company E's barrack by their boyish hosts, Ignace was missing from the squad room. Nor did he put in an appearance until just before time for the evening mess, at least half an hour after his bunkies had bade their visitors a reluctant farewell and watched them drive off down the company street in their racer. "You're a nice one!" greeted Jimmy in pretended disgust. "Where have you been keeping yourself? Maybe you were ashamed to be seen with us! What do you mean by quitting us cold? You're a fine sort of Brother, you are." Jimmy's energetic salutation brought a dull flush to the Pole's cheeks. His china-blue eyes showed real distress. He gulped, sighed, shifted from one foot to the other, then faltered out: "Never I shame to go by you an' Bob an' Roger. So have I the respet to my Brothar. Such gran' fren' see me, think I no much, think mebbe you no much, too. You tell you have 'nother Brothar, all right, they don't see. They see----" Ignace made a gesture expressive of his lowly opinion of himself. "Well of all the modest violets, you're the flower of the bunch!" was Bob's satirical tribute. "You've a nice opinion of us, Iggy." Roger's twitching lips belied his reproach. "Let's take him over to the shower bath and duck him," proposed Jimmy. "Of all the bosh I ever listened to that's the boshiest. Wake up, Iggy! You're not at a social tea. You're in the Army now, and in bad, too, just on my account. If you ever again do another vanishing act when we're going to have company, you'll be more than in bad with the Army; you'll be in bad with us. You'll be going around hunting three lost Brothers, who quit you because you couldn't tell the difference between a regular fellow and a snob!" CHAPTER XVI UNKNOWN, UNGUESSED At noon on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Roger, Jimmy and Bob said a regretful good-bye to Ignace and sallied forth to the station bound for a four days' furlough with the Blaises. Due to Jimmy's thoughtfulness, Ignace had that very morning received a Thanksgiving box of good things to eat from Mrs. Blaise that had astonished him almost to tears. He had never before come into such a windfall, and his round blue eyes grew rounder when after the departure of his bunkies he explored the contents of this holiday treat. His first thought was of someone with whom he might share it. Franz Schnitzel appealed to him as most worthy of choice. Like himself, Schnitzel never received either money or gifts from home.