" The
good Monk was puzzled by the change, which he did not think quite
worthy of his cousin, having-—though the son of a military man-—a
contempt for the pomp and circumstance of war. He marvelled to see
Jock affectionately hook up his sword over the photograph of
Engelberg above his mantelshelf; and he hesitated to join the
volunteers, as his aunt wished, by way of compelling variety and
exercise. Jock, however, decided on so doing, that Sydney might own
at least that he was ready for a call to arms for his country. He
did not like to think that she was reading a report of Sir Philip
Cameron's campaign, in which the aide-de-camp happened to receive
honourable mention for a dashing and hazardous ride.
"Why, old fellow, what makes you so down in the mouth?" said John, on
that very day as the two cousins were walking home from a lecture.
They had had to get into a door-way to avoid the rush of rabble
escorting a regiment of household troops on their way to the station,
and Lucas had afterwards walked the length of two streets without a
word. "You don't mean that you are hankering after all this style of
thing-—row and all the rest of it."
"There's a good deal more going to it than row," said Jock, rather
heavily.
"What, that donkey, Evelyn, having cut you? I should not trouble
myself much on that score, though I did think better of him at Eton.
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