Oi am sick of this loife here." "Well, Bill, there will be no difficulty about that if you really make up your mind to it when the time comes.

Of course I should like to have you very much.

I have heard my father say that each officer has a soldier as his special servant; and if you would like that, you see, when we were alone together we should be able to talk about Varley and everything here just as we do now.

Then I suppose I could help you on and get you made first corporal and then a sergeant." "Very well, Maister Ned, then we will look on that as being as good as settled, and as soon as thou gets to be an officer oi will go as one of your soldiers." For an hour they walked across the moor, talking about a soldier's life, Ned telling of the various parts of the world in which England was at that time engaged in war, and wondering in which of them they would first see service.

Then they came back to the village and there parted, and Ned, feeling in better spirits than he had been from the day when he first heard of his mother's engagement to Mr.Mulready, walked briskly down to Marsden.
For a time matters went on quietly.