pieces of news were matters of common knowledge.

"Well, sir, of course you were out most of yesterday, and you dined at
the club. Braiding attended at a recruiting office yesterday, sir.
He stood three hours in the crowd outside because there was no room
inside, and then he stood over two hours in a passage inside before
his turn came, and nothing to eat all day, or drink either. And when
his turn came and they asked him his age, he said 'thirty-six,' and
the person was very angry and said he hadn't any time to waste, and
Braiding had better go outside again and consider whether he hadn't
made a mistake about his age. So Braiding went outside and considered
that his age was only thirty-three after all, but he couldn't get in
again, not by any means, so he just came back here and I gave him a
good tea, and he needed it, sir."

"But he saw me last night, and he never said anything!"

"Yes, sir," Mrs. Braiding admitted with pain. "I asked him if he had
told you, and he said he hadn't and that I must."

"Where is he now?"

"He went off early, sir, so as to get a good place. I shouldn't be a
bit surprised if he's in the army by this time. I know it's not the
right way of going about things, and Braiding's only excuse is it's
for the Empire. When it's a question of the Empire, sir...." At that
instant the white man's burden was Mrs. Braiding's, and the glance of
her serious face showed what the crushing strain of it was.

"I think he might have told me."