Read "The Soldier's Story, being a Bit of Orange Peel" by H.C. McNeile online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
"YOU can set your minds at rest about one thing, you fellows," began the / Soldier, with a grin. "My yarn isn't about the war. There have been / quite enough lies told already about that performance without my adding / to the number. No; my story concerns peace soldiering, and, strangely / enough, I had an ocular demonstration when dining at the Ritz two nights / ago that everything had finished up quite satisfactorily, in the / approved story-book manner. At least, when I say quite / satisfactorily-there was a price, and it was paid by one of the / principal actors. But that is the unchangeable rule: one can but shrug / one's shoulders and pay accordingly.
"The regiment-I was a squadron-leader at the time-was quartered at / Murchester. Not a bad station at all: good shooting, very fair hunting, / especially if you didn't scorn the carted stag, polo, and most excellent / cricket. Also some delightful houses in the neighbourhood; and as we'd / just come home from our foreign tour we found the place greatly to our / liking. London was an hour and a bit by train; in fact, there are many / worse stations in England than the spot I have labelled Murchester.