"No, no! You must not! You shall know what France thinks of the
service you have done for her, and -- yes, for your own
brothers-in-arms as well. Listen! You are already promoted, Monsieur
Erwin. I may tell you that much. And so is your comrade, Blaine.
Look! He already wears his decoration."

"Oh, well," said Orris wearily, "we didn't do so much after all. We
did our bombing -- what we were sent to do. Then we somehow had to go
down in back of the Boche lines. While there we took that German
machine. It was right handy, and no trouble. What else could I do but
bring back your Bleriot, leaving Lafe here to do all the work of
fetching in that Boche machine and the Boche himself? Got back all
right, did you, Lafe. Looked to me when that other crowd tackled us as
if you might have your hands full."

Blaine here smiled, nodded, and playfully rejoined:

"Looked to me as if you, too, would have some time getting back. And I
guess you did too, by the way you look now."

All this was vaguely complimentary, yet rather overdoing the thing, or
so Erwin seemed to feel, for he sighed and turned on his pillow as if
weary.

At this juncture the ward door again opened and there walked in several
uniformed men who had just stepped out of a military car, visible
through the temporarily open door.

One of these strode forward, while the rest followed. This foremost
one was of distinguished appearance and bore on arm and shoulder the