they began to see their way to getting him out as a pivotal man,
somebody would decide that it was quicker to demobilise him as a
one-man-business; and when this was nearly done, then somebody else
would point out that it was really much neater to reinstate him as a
slip-man. Whereupon a sub-section, just getting to work at W.O. letter
ZXY/999, would beg to be allowed a little practice on William while he
was still available, to the great disgust of the medical authorities,
who had been hoping to study the symptoms of self-demobilisation in
Lieut. Smith as evidenced after twenty-eight days' in hospital.

Naturally, then, when another friend met William a month later and
said, "Hallo, aren't you out yet?" William could only look at his
spurs again and say, "Not yet."

"Better go to the War Office and have a talk with somebody," said his
friend. "Much the quickest."

So William went to the War Office. First he had a talk with a
policeman, and then he had a talk with a porter, and then he had a
talk with an attendant, and then he had a talk with a messenger girl,
and so finally he came to the end of a long queue of officers who were
waiting to have a talk with _somebody_.

"Not so many here to-day as yesterday," said a friendly Captain in the
Suffolks who was next to him.

"Oh!" said William. "And we've got an army on the Rhine too," he
murmured to himself, realising for the first time the extent of
England's effort.