The Angels of Mons | Page 8

tell you, and they shut us up in a
barn in the village; just flung us on the ground and left us to starve
seemingly. They barred up the big door of the barn, and put a sentry
there, and thought we were all right.
"There were sort of slits like very narrow windows in one of the walls,
and on the second day it was, I was looking out of these slits down the
street, and I could see those German devils were up to mischief. They
were planting their machine-guns everywhere handy where an ordinary
man coming up the street would never see them, but I see them, and I
see the infantry lining up behind the garden walls. Then I had a sort of
a notion of what was coming; and presently, sure enough, I could hear
some of our chaps singing 'Hullo, hullo, hullo!' in the distance; and I
says to myself, 'Not this time.'
"So I looked about me, and I found a hole under the wall; a kind of a
drain I should think it was, and I found I could just squeeze through.
And I got out and crept, round, and away I goes running down the
street, yelling for all I was worth, just as our chaps were getting round
the corner at the bottom. 'Bang, bang!' went the guns, behind me and in
front of me, and on each side of me, and then--bash! something hit me
on the head and over I went; and I don't remember anything more till I

woke up here just now."
The soldier lay back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them he saw that there were other people in the room
besides the minister in the black robes. One was a man in a big black
cloak. He had a grim old face and a great beaky nose. He shook the
soldier by the hand.
"By God! sir," he said, "you're a credit to the British Army; you're a
damned fine soldier and a good man, and, by God! I'm proud to shake
hands with you."
And then someone came out of the shadow, someone in queer clothes
such as the soldier had seen worn by the heralds when he had been on
duty at the opening of Parliament by the King.
"Now, by Corpus Domini," this man said, "of all knights ye be noblest
and gentlest, and ye be of fairest report, and now ye be a brother of the
noblest brotherhood that ever was since this world's beginning, since ye
have yielded dear life for your friends' sake."
The soldier did not understand what the man was saying to him. There
were others, too, in strange dresses, who came and spoke to him. Some
spoke in what sounded like French. He cduld not make it out; but he
knew that they all spoke kindly and praised him.
"What does it all mean?" he said to the minister. "What are they talking
about? They don't think I'd let down my pals?"
"Drink this," said the minister, and he handed the soldier a great silver
cup, brimming with wine.
The soldier took a deep draught, and in that moment all his sorrows
passed from him.
"What is it?" he asked?
"Vin nouveau du Royaume," said the minister. "New Wine of the

Kingdom, you call it." And then he bent down and murmured in the
soldier's ear.
"What," said the wounded man, "the place they used to tell us about in
Sunday school? With such drink and such joy--"
His voice was hushed. For as he looked at the minister the fashion of
his vesture was changed. The black robe seemed to melt away from
him. He was all in armour, if armour be made of starlight, of the rose of
dawn, and of sunset fires; and he lifted up a great sword of flame.
Full in the midst, his Cross of Red Triumphant Michael brandished,
And trampled the Apostate's pride.

The Monstrance
Then it fell out in the sacring of the Mass that right as the priest heaved
up the Host there came a beam redder than any rose and smote upon it,
and then it was changed bodily into the shape and fashion of a Child
having his arms stretched forth, as he had been nailed upon the
Tree.--Old Romance.
So far things were going very well indeed. The night was thick and
black and cloudy, and the German force had come three-quarters of
their way or more without an alarm. There was no challenge from the
English lines; and indeed the English were being kept busy by a high
shell-fire on their front. This had been the German plan; and it was
coming off admirably. Nobody