"
While the Doctor had been talking to Isobel, the men had gathered
below in a sort of informal council, the subject being Bathurst's
conduct on the roof.
"I would not have believed it if I had not seen it," Captain Rintoul
said. "The man was absolutely helpless with fright; I never saw
such an exhibition; and then his fainting afterwards and having to
be carried away was disgusting; in fact, it is worse than that."
There was a general murmur of assent.
"It is disgraceful," one of the civilians said; "I am ashamed that
the man should belong to our service; the idea of a fellow being
helpless by fright when there are women and children to be defended
--it is downright revolting."
"Well, he did go and stick himself up in front," Wilson said; "you
should remember that. He may have been in a blue funk, I don't
say he wasn't; still, you know, he didn't go away and try to hide
himself, but he stuck himself up in front for them to fire at. I
think we ought to take that into consideration."
"Dr. Wade says Bathurst put himself there to try and accustom
himself to fire," Captain Forster said. "Mind, I don't pretend to
like the man. We were at school together, and he was a coward then
and a sneak, but for all that one should look at it fairly. The
Doctor asserts that Bathurst is morally brave, but that somehow or
other his nerves are too much for him. I don't pretend to understand
it myself, but there is no doubt about the Doctor's pluck, and
I don't think he would stand up for Bathurst as he does unless he
really thought he was not altogether accountable for showing the
white feather.
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