If we can depend on you to help
us all over London, we'll have an easier job than we looked for."
"We saw a whole lot of those fellows piling up against the shop here," said
Franklin. "So of course we pitched in. We couldn't let anything like that
happen."
"There'll be a lot of it at first, I'm afraid, sir," said the sergeant.
"Still, it won't last. If all we hear is true, they'll be taking a lot of
those young fellows away and giving them some real fighting to do to keep
them quiet."
"Well, we'll help whenever we can, sergeant," said Franklin. "If the
inspector thinks it would be a good thing to have the shops that are kept
by Germans watched, I'm quite sure it can be arranged. If there's war I
suppose a lot of you policemen will go?"
"We'll supply our share, sir," said the sergeant. "I'm expecting orders any
minute--I'm a reservist myself. Coldstream Guards, sir."
"Congratulations!" said Franklin. He spoke a little wistfully. "I wonder if
they'll let me go? I think I'm old enough! Well, can we help any more here
to-night?"
"No, thank you, sir. You've done very well as it is. Pity all the lads
don't belong to the Boy Scouts. We'd have less trouble, I'll warrant. I'll
just leave a man here to watch the place. But they won't be back. They
don't mean any real harm, as it is. It's just their spirits--and their
being a bit thoughtless, you know.
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