Day after day and week after week passed, and still Bob knew nothing of what was to happen to him. He had enlisted as a private, but on Captain Pringle's advice had put down his name for a commission. From the first day, however, he had heard nothing more of it. From early morning till late in the day it was nothing but hard, tiring work.
It was all wonderfully strange to him, this intermingling with a mixed humanity, working like a slave for that which he had hitherto hated, and which he still hated. Still, he threw his whole heart into it, and he could not help knowing that he was progressing rapidly. After the first few days his tiredness and soreness passed away, and he could go through the most arduous duties without feeling tired. There was something in it all, too, which inspired him. The military precision of everything appealed to him, and the shouts, and laughter of hundreds of voices made life gay in spite of everything. As the days passed by, moreover, he could not help seeing that the association with clean-minded, healthy-bodied, educated men, was having a good effect upon the coarse-fibred portion of the strange community. They did not indulge so frequently in coarse language, neither was their general conduct so objectionable. It seemed as though they had something to live up to.
"Shut up, mate, and don't be a beast," Bob heard one man say to another one day.
"You are mighty squeamish, you son of a swine," was the rejoinder; "wot are you so partic'ler about?"
"'Cos I don't want to tell them 'ere fellers that we're a low lot."
"We're as good as they are, thet's wot we are. We're just all equals 'ere. They are Tommies just as we are. That's wot _I_ ses."
"We may be all equals as soldiers; but we cawn't git away from it, Bill, some of 'em are gentlemen. Thet's wot they are. Some of 'em just make me ashamed of myself sometimes. No, I ain't a puttin' on no side; but I just want to let 'em see that we workin' chaps can behave as well as they can. Thet's all. See?"
Meanwhile, good news came from the front. The Allies had driven the Germans back over the Marne, and were making progress all along the line.
The men cheered wildly as they heard the news.
"They'll git licked afore we get a smack at 'em," some ventured.