NEVER FORGOTTEN.

PART THE FIRST.
CHAPTER XIX. THERSITES.

THE evening of Major Carter's little party,
Fermor was dining with his fellows at mess.
He had not spoken of it to them, but was
surprised to find them all talking of it eagerly and
vociferously. He was a little disgusted and
inclined to revoke the "gentlemanly" patent he
had so hastily issued. But it would have
brought discredit on his own powers of judgment,
and on this account he did not entertain
the idea of that degradation very much.

They had not, however, all been asked. The
regimental sluice had not, as it were, been lifted
to let the flood tumble in a sort of deluge on
the major's modest party, and lay the whole
room under crimson water. He had exercised
a nice selection, pulling them like flowers, by
the aid of his Landed Gentry, and, with his
wonderful discrimination, had asked half a dozen of
the choicest men of the corps.

That very day that Showers, who was always
playing Thersites in respect of Fermor, came
home from leave. Fermor shivered as he saw
him sitting opposite. He often thought how
this man's coarseness and low manners would
force him to quit the regiment. And yet this
very Captain Showers was liked by the other
men. He had a loud, strong voice, with a fat
face and large mouth, on which he produced
laughs by very much the action of a forge
bellows. He was always telling "good things,"
and "good stories," stories without spine or
stamina, but which the simple souls about him
roared at. Such of them as had heard of Hood
or Hook, and the one or two who had met the
jokes of Sydney Smith in books, placed him far
above those humorists.

Through this dinner he was busy detailing
adventures, and studded them over pretty thickly
with "good things," like silver buttons on a
court suit. Not merely "good" things, but
"capital" things, and even the "very best
things you ever heard in your whole life." Of
which last class several were accumulated even
in that one night, which must have made it an
evening very remarkable to think of and look
back to, for long after. It was not until this
stock was exhausted, and they had adjourned to
their ante-room, that he began to cast about
him for his favourite subject, Fermor.

"Well, Fermor," said Thersites, turning
suddenly on him, "what made you go and break
the horse's back? Eh? What had he done to
you?"

"I broke no horse's back," said Fermor, with
quiet dignity. (It was odd, he believed even to
the end that there was a magic power in this
manner of his that could awe the profane.) "If
you had taken the trouble to pick up the details,
you would have heard a different story." And
pleased with this retort he turned to his evening
paper again, and began to read.

Thersites, not in the least disturbed, worked
his forge bellows into many grins, looking round
on the company, and began again.

"And I am told, I say, Fermor—I am told
you got into a house among a lot of fine girls—
best bedroom, and all that—sisters on the stairs
with the gruels and codlings—mamma settling
the pillow. I don't believe a word of it.
You're too proper a man."

A chorus of boys sitting taking in more drink
and smoke than was good for their age, broke
in with delight, "Oh, who told you that?"

Fermor, brought up to believe that truth was
the most gentlemanly of a gentleman's virtues,
said, coldly and seriously, "If you are alluding
to the family who so kindly took care of me
when I was ill, I must request as a favour,"
added Fermor, leaning ironically on the word,
"that the subject will not be pursued." He
had cast this bolt in his best manner, as it
appeared to him.

The other, however, was not to be disposed
of so easily. "I see," he said; "private
grounds. Visitors are requested not to walk
on the grass, eh, Fermor?"

"I don't follow you," said Fermor, again
rising out of his newspaper. "There are no
visitors here, and I can see no grass."

Some of the boys tittered at this. They
always enjoyed these little scuffles between the
pair. Thersites, like all professional jesters,
was nettled at what he considered his habitual
target becoming animated and returning his
fire. "How smart we are!" he said, becoming
personal; "how sharp we are! Come, did
they teach you? Four lessons a guinea? How
many days were you in class? Which of them
gave lessons, eh?"

This was received with loud laughter. Fermor,