And he looked again, and he came nearer, and he leaned on the wall,
so that he could read the black printing on the white paint.

And he grinned all over his face, and he said--

'Well, I AM blessed!'

And he read it all out in a sort of half whisper, and when he came
to the end, where it says, 'and all such brave soldiers', he said--

'Well, I really AM!' I suppose he meant he really was blessed.
Oswald thought it was like the soldier's cheek, so he said--

'I daresay you aren't so very blessed as you think. What's it to
do with you, anyway, eh, Tommy?'

Of course Oswald knew from Kipling that an infantry soldier is
called that. The soldier said--

'Tommy yourself, young man. That's ME!' and he pointed to the
tombstone.

We stood rooted to the spot. Alice spoke first.

'Then you're Bill, and you're not dead,' she said. 'Oh, Bill, I am
so glad! Do let ME tell your mother.'

She started running, and so did we all. Bill had to go slowly
because of his leg, but I tell you he went as fast as ever he
could.