The Stunt Pilot said that he hadn't been, but if there was any leave going
with it he might think of it.

"One's simply got to get leave _somehow_," he complained. "What about a
breach of promise case? Suppose I manage to get mixed up in a breach of
promise case, wouldn't that do?"

"That's no good," commented the Junior Officer gloomily. "You'd have to get
leave for something else first before you could manage it."

"And if you did," added the Adjutant severely, "you'd get leave for rather
longer than you bargained for."

"How about funerals?" put in the Equipment Officer hopefully. "Funerals are
a fairly sound stunt, aren't they?"

"Funerals," observed the Adjutant, "are played out. If you come to me
to-morrow and talk about dead uncles and things I shall have all sorts of
inquiries made that will surprise you. I've been had before by funerals.
When I was in the Army"--the Adjutant talks like this since he was attached
to the Flying Corps--"when I was in the Army there was a fellow who used to
come to the orderly-room and talk funerals to me until I was sick of the
sight of him. After some months of it I made him give me a written list of
all his surviving relations, and then as he killed them off I used to
scratch them out. I caught him at last on his third grandmother."

"That's all very nice," said the Stunt Pilot, "but the question at present
before the meeting is how are we poor beggars to get any leave?"

"It's no good blaming me," returned the Adjutant blandly. "Command Orders