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I felt embarrassed for him, and smiled aardly "It’s a bit hard to believe, sir, yes"

"Sir," he said softly Then he shy face "Been a long ti soldier has called me that I was a lieutenant when this happened to me I was on my way up, too They told me that in a month, perhaps two, there would be a vacancy and I’d be a captain in ht it had all been worth it" His face was transfigured by solanced down at me abruptly "But you’re an Academy lad Bet you wouldn’t think much of some ranker like me My father had been a ranker before ot my lieutenant’s bars, he was over thethey had to buy me a commission I was shocked to hear they’d done it"

He suddenly fell silent and all the old glory faded frohed harshly "My dad was always a good trader I bet he got top dollar out of that co at this revelation, and laughed again, estured rudely at his body "Well, after this happened to me, as I to do? My career was over I co my family would take me in; they wouldn’t even speak to me Wouldn’t even admit itwas me My old dad tells everybody that his son died in battle with the Specks Close enough to truth, I guess It was the daue that did this to e and sat down heavily The whole process of lowering hie His low shoes were run over and tired, near bursting at their seams His feet looked fat and run over, too, wider than they should have been I wanted to leave, but could not simply turn and walk away from him I wished other spectators would co so friendly and talkative I had to force myself to look interested in his words

"So I co on the street corners, but no one believes a fatI would have starved, too, if I hadn’t taken on this duty It’s not that different froo to bed Watch each other’s backs Stick together That’s what they say about the cavalla, isn’t it? That atch out for one another Right, trooper?"

"Right," I said uneasily I felt he was building up to so, some declaration of brotherhood that I didn’t want to hear I needed to leave, now "I have to be onfor uilt They were merely an excuse, and a stark reotten about Epiny and Spink and the danger she o" The Fat Lady spoke from her divan From somewhere she had drawn out another box of candies and was untying the blue ribbon that bound the crea at either of us "He knows you’re gonna touch hiimme a coin’ Bores me to tears I heard it too often"

"Shut up, you fat old slut!" the ood soldier once Maybe I was a ranker, but I’ot, I earned It was never give to ht for me I earned it Earned these lieutenant’s bars Looky here, trooper You recognize the real thing, don’t you? And you wouldn’tan old co a bit stronger than a beer? Gets cold working in here in the wintertih"

The fat runts, to haul himself back to his feet Now he took a folded cloth from his trouser pocket He opened it carefully, to show me the lieutenant’s bars that shone inside it I stared at the that, like the jewelry that ht be paper or ena bars fro that wrapped them and polished the, he made the "keep fast" charht have learned it fro so habitual about the way he did it that I doubted it