But what I--" "Was he an officer, dear ?" "No, no, mother, a sergeant," he answered abruptly, and in the same breath continued.

"What I was going to say is this.

No one as far as I know has ever bothered to work out the psychology of fear.

Especially the sudden thing that hits a man's heart and makes him stand stock-still like a living corpse--unable to move a muscle--all his willpower out of gear--just as a motor is out of gear.

I've seen a lot of it.