out and in his exuberance he showed Mr. Conne’s letter to Margaret Ellison, who also worked in Temple Camp office.

“It’s splendid,” she said, “and as soon as you know you’re going I’m going to hang a service flag in the window.”

“You can’t hang out a service flag for a feller that’s working on a transport,” Tom said. “He isn’t in regular military service. When I’m enlisted I’ll let you know.”

“You must be sure to write.”

Tom promised and was delighted. So great was his elation, indeed, that on his way home to his room that evening he went through Terrace Avenue again, to see how the Red Cross women were getting on in their new quarters.

Mary Temple received him in a regular nurse’s costume, which made Tom almost wish that he were lying wounded on some battle-field. She was delighted at his good news, and, “Oh, we had such a funny man here just after you left,” she said. “Mother thinks he must have been insane. He said he came to read the gas-meter, so I took him down into the cellar and the gas-meter had been taken away. Wouldn’t you think the gas company would have known that? Then he said he would stay in the cellar and inspect the pipes.”

“Did you let him?” Tom asked.

“I certainly did not! With all our stuff down there? When he saw I intended to stay down as long as he did, he went right up. Do you think he wanted to steal some of our membership buttons?”

Tom shrugged his shoulders thoughtfully. He was glad the next day was Saturday.