He turned and his knees caved under him.
'Wha--what do you mean by that ?' says he"-- and here Leicester burlesqued the poor cold stammering knave to the life--"'Oh, for the Lord's sake, Leicester, have mercy on me!' 'You'll see the kind of mercy you're going to get,' says I; 'but meantime you've a choice between hanging and coming along to join the North Wilts.' 'But why should I join the North Wilts ?' he asked.

'Well, to begin with,' I said, 'you're a dreadful coward, and there you'll have some chance to feel what it's really like.

And what's more,' I said, 'I'll take care you're in my company, and I'm going to live beside you and give you hell.

I'm going to eat beside you, sleep beside you, march beside you: and when things grow hot, and your lilywhite soul begins to shiver, I'll be close to you still--but _behind_ you, my daisy!' So I promised him, and, being a coward, he chose it.

I tell you I kept my word too: it's lucky for you, boy, that I'm a connoisseur in my grudges.