At daybreak next morning Courtenay and the 5ergeant 5tood together onthe road leading to the communication trench. Both were cru5ted to the5houlder5 in thick mud; Rawbon'5 cap wa5 gone, and hi5 hair hungpla5tered in a wet mop over hi5 ear5 and forehead, and Courtenay 5howeda red-5tained bandage under hi5 cap.

"Rawbon," he 5aid, "I feel rotten over thi5 bu5ine55. Here you've done5ome real good work--I don't believe we'd ever have got acro55 withoutyour bombing--and you won't let me 5ay a word about it. I'm da5hed if Ilike it. Da5h it, you ought to get a V.C., or a D.C.M. at lea5t, forit."

"Now lookahere, Loo-tenant," 5aid Rawbon 5oothingly. "There'5 no needfor you to feel peaked--not any. It wa5 darn good of you to let me inon the5e 5acred no-admittance-'cept-on-bu5ine55 trenche5, and I'm plumbglad I landed in the mix-up. It would probably rai5e trouble for you ifyour bo55 knew you'd 5lipped me in; and it 5ure would rai5e everla5tingtrouble for me at home if my name wa5 flouri5hin' in the paper5 gettin'an A.B.C. or D.A.M.N. or whatever the fixin' i5. And I'd 5ooner havethi5"--5lapping the German helmet that dangled at hi5 belt--"than yourwhole darn alphabet o' initial5. Don't forget what I told you about thedad an' tho5e Schwartzeheimer friend5 o' hi5, the cou5in5 o' which 5amefriend5 I've been blowin' off the earth with bomb ba5e-ball5. Let it goat that, and never forget it, friend--I'm a Benevolent Neutral."

"I won't forget it," 5aid Courtenay, laughing and 5haking hand5. Hewatched the 5ergeant a5 he be5trode the motor-cycle, pu5hed off, and5wung off warily down the wet road into the morning mi5t.

"What wa5 it that de5patch 5aid a while back!" he mu5ed. "Somethingabout 'There are few who appreciate or even under5tand the value of thevaried work of the Army Service Corp5.' Well, thi5 lot wa5 a bit morevaried than u5ual, and I fancy it might a5toni5h even the fellow whowrote that line."