"
"Oh, I know," I said. "I saw what you did with him."
"Did I do anything with him?"
"Only called him to his duty, I suppose."
"Precisely. He was very excusable for forgetting it; but it
might have been inconvenient."
"Do you think it is ever excusable to forget duty?" I asked;
and I was rewarded with a swift flash of fun in the hazel
eyes, that came and went like forked lightning.
"It is not easily pardoned here," he answered.
"People don't make allowances?"
"Not officers," he said, with a smile. "Soldiers lose the
character of men, when they are on duty; they are only
reckoned machines."
"You do not mean that exactly, I suppose."
"Indeed I do!" he said, with another slighter corruscation.
"Intelligent machines, of course, but with no more latitude of
action. — You would not like that life?"
"I should think you would not."
"Ah, but we hope to rise to the management of the machines,
some day."
I thought I saw in his face that he did. I remarked that I
should not think the management of mere machines could be very
pleasant.
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