Miss Merton, after some demur, agreed that it would be just possible for her to be ready at the end of a month. Three days later the two friends went up to town and, after undergoing a medical examination, were told that they must rejoin their regiments in a couple of months. As both regiments were in India, they decided to return in the same ship.
"I am not sorry that we are off," Lisle said, when they met on the deck of the P. and O. steamer. "I was getting desperately tired of doing nothing and, after you had gone off with your wife, on the afternoon of the marriage, I began to feel desperately lonely. Of course, I have always been accustomed to have a lot of friends round me; and I began to feel a longing to be with the regiment again and, if we had not agreed to go out together, I think I should have taken the next steamer."
Six weeks later Lisle rejoined his regiment, where he was heartily welcomed.
"Now you are a brevet major, Mr. Bullen, I am afraid that you will cease to be useful to us all; for of course we cannot be sending an officer of that exalted rank about to do our messages. However, several nice boys have joined, while you have been away."
"I shall always be happy to be employed," Lisle laughed, "and I dare say I am no older than many of the subalterns."
"I suppose you have had hard times?"
"Very hard. I thought that the Tirah business was about as hard as one would have to go through, in the course of one"s soldiering; but I was greatly deceived. When I say that for six months I hardly ever had dry clothes on, and that I waded something like a hundred rivers, you may guess what it was like.
"And we had our full share of fighting, too. I was very fortunate in only getting hit three or four times, with slugs; but as we were for the most part fighting against men hidden in the bush, it was unsatisfactory work, though we always did lick them in the end. I can a.s.sure you that I do not wish for any more service of that kind.
"Have the tribes been quiet since I went away?"
"Quiet, as far as we were concerned. Of course, there have been a few trifling risings along the frontier but, as a whole, even the Zakka-Khels have been quiet. I don"t think there will be any trouble, on a large scale, for some time to come."
"Then there is a prospect of a quiet time; that is to say, if the Russians will keep quiet."
"That is a very strong "if," Major Bullen; but I think that, if there is trouble, it will be in China."
"In that case, no doubt a good many regiments will be sent from here. I hope that it will be our good fortune to be among them."
"Well, in that case," the colonel said, with a laugh, "you will have to restrain your ardour, and give a chance to other men. You have got the V.C. and the D.S.O., which ought to satisfy you; to say nothing of having got your company, and brevet majority, at the age of twenty-one. You must be content with that, otherwise the regiment will rise against you."
"That would be very unpleasant," Lisle said, with a laugh. "I will try to suppress my zeal. I can a.s.sure you that I am perfectly conscious of the incongruity of being in such a position, at my age."
At present Lisle is with his regiment, and the prospect of a war with Russia is no nearer than it was.