ve said enough as it is."

"No, sir, we ain't! and, soldier or no soldier, I'm a man, and not going
to have things like that spoken about my comrade--and such a comrade as
him!"

"Be quiet, I tell you!" said Brumpton; and the man's tone and manner
made Jerry forget that he was so pincushion-like in appearance.  "I
don't want you to get in trouble, too!"

"And I don't want to get in trouble," said Jerry; "but I don't call it
manly for a lot of fellows who knew Dick Smithson to be a reg'lar gent
to the backbone to stand there and hear that mean little wax-match of a
man, without saying a word or sticking up for him!"

"Who said nobody stuck up for him?" said Brumpton.

"You never said anyone did!"

"Well, they did!" said Brumpton.

"Oh, that's better!  What did they say?"

"As soon as he spoke like that, a lot of the men began to hiss."

"Hiss!" cried Jerry, contemptuously; "why, a goose on Clapham Common
could do that!"

"And then," continued Brumpton, "Wilkins began to blink over his
music-stand, looking as red in the face as his uniform.  `Who was that?'
he says--`who was it that dared to make that noise?'"

"And then no one spoke," sneered Jerry.  "Hissed!  I'd ha' punched his
head.  Bandmaster, indeed!--I'd ha' been the bandmaster's master that
time!"

"Wrong, Jerry Brigley!" cried Brumpton.  "Someone did speak, others did
not; but I'll answer for everyone, I spoke out."

"Bravo!" cried Jerry.  "What did you say, sergeant?"

"I said it was a blackguardly, cowardly thing to say behind a man's
back."

"Yes; and what then?" cried Jerry, breathlessly.

"Then?  Oh, he turned upon me and let me have it, while I took no
notice, feeling as I did that I ought to have known better; and the
quieter I was the more he went on giving it me, and threatening and
getting more and more savage, till he roused me at last."

"How?  What did he say?"

"Well, there is one thing that makes me wild, and he did it.  I stood
there holding the bombardon, letting him go on, till all at once he told
me that I was no more good in my company