"It does," I said; "but as a matter of fact it's got nothing to do
with my temper. It means temporary."

"Anyhow it's a difficult word to pronounce in four syllables. I shall
do it in two."

"No, Francesca, you shall not. As the holder of His Majesty's
Commission I cannot allow you to go about the country saying tempy
when you mean tem-po-ra-ry."

"But why do they put in the word at all?"

"It's the War Office way of announcing that we're not to expect our
new-born joys to last for ever."

"To the end of the War is long enough for most people at the present
rate."

"Do not let us peer too anxiously into the dim and distant future.
Let us be satisfied with such a present as fate has assigned to us in
making me a 2nd Lieutenant temporary, with all the privileges that the
words imply."

"Right," she said. "I'm going to wire to your brother Fred to come and
stay here."

"Do you want him to come and rejoice with us over my new rank?"

"No," she said, "not exactly. I want to see how an elder brother, who
is a 2nd Lieutenant temporary of Volunteers gets on with a younger