German high schools and English homes!"

"Did OUR people?" asked some patriot.

"Not so much. ButI'm afraid there were cases… Some of the

Indian troops were pretty bad."

Gane picked up the tale with confirmations.

It is all printed in the vividest way as a picture upon mymemory,

so that were I a painter Ithink I could give the deep rich browns

and warm greys beyond the brightly lit table, the various

distinguished faces, strongly illuminated, interested and keen,

above the black and white of evening dress, the alert menservants

with their heavier, clean-shaved faces indistinctlyseen in the

dimness behind. Then this was colouredemotionally for me by my

aching sense of loss and sacrifice, and by the chance trend of our

talk to the breaches andunrealities of the civilised scheme. We

seemed a little transitory circle of light in a universe of darkness

and violence; aneffect to which the diminishingsmell of burning

rubber, the trampling of feet overhead, the swish of water, added

enormously. Everybody-unless, perhaps, it was Evesham-drank

rather carelessly because of the suppressed excitement of our

situation, and talked the louder and more freely.

"But what a flimsy thing our civilisation is!" said Evesham; "a mere

thin net of habits and associations!"

"I suppose those men came back," said Wilkins.

"Lady Paskershortly did!" chuckled Evesham.

"How do they fit it in with therest of their lives?" Wilkins

speculated. "I suppose there's Pekin-stained police officers,

Pekin-stained J. P.'s-trying petty pilferers in the severest

manner."…

Then for a time things became preposterous. There was a sudden

cascade of water by the fireplace, and then absurdly the ceiling

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