But discipline is discipline, and if I had let
such a breach of it pass they would have no respect for me. They
understand. They had no business to put their guns out of their hands.
What would they have done if the detachment of Uhlans we are watching
for had dashed up that hill--as they might have?"
Before I could answer or remark on this startling speech there was a
tremendous explosion, which brought me to my feet, with the
inevitable,--
"What's that?"
He took a long pull at his tea before he replied quietly,--"Another
division across the Marne."
Then he went on as if there had been no interruption:--
"This Yorkshire regiment has had hard luck. Only one other regiment in
the Expedition has had worse. They have marched from the Belgian
frontier, and they have been in four big actions in the retreat--Mons,
Cambrai, Saint-Quentin, and La Fere. Saint-Quentin was pretty rough
luck. We went into the trenches a full regiment. We came out to
retreat again with four hundred men--and I left my younger brother
there."
I gasped; I could not find a word to say. He did not seem to feel it
necessary that I should.
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