England pay for them," I says; "for it was his quarrel and not
mine."

SIR PEARCE [warmly]. It is the quarrel of every honest man and
true patriot, O'Flaherty. Your mother must see that as clearly as
I do. After all, she is a reasonable, well disposed woman, quite
capable of understanding the right and the wrong of the war. Why
can't you explain to her what the war is about?

O'FLAHERTY. Arra, sir, how the divil do I know what the war is
about?

SIR PEARCE (rising again and standing over him]. What!
O'Flaherty: do you know what you are saying? You sit there
wearing the Victoria Cross for having killed God knows how many
Germans; and you tell me you don't know why you did it!

O'FLAHERTY. Asking your pardon, Sir Pearce, I tell you no such
thing. I know quite well why I kilt them, because I was afeard
that, if I didn't, they'd kill me.

SIR PEARCE (giving it up, and sitting down again]. Yes, yes, of
course; but have you no knowledge of the causes of the war? of
the interests at stake? of the importance--I may almost say--in
fact I will say--the sacred right for which we are fighting?
Don't you read the papers?

O'FLAHERTY. I do when I can get them. There's not many newsboys
crying the evening paper in the trenches. They do say, Sir
Pearce, that we shall never beat the Boshes until we make Horatio