Page:Wounded Souls.djvu/249

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did not cause a shiver to the English working-man. He said, "What has Russia to do with me? I'm English. I have fought this war to save England, I have done the job; now then, where's my reward?"

Men who looked round for a living while they lived on an unemployment dole that was not good enough for their new desires, became sullen when they returned home night after night with the same old story of "Nothing doing." The women were still clinging to their jobs. They had earned their independence by good work in war-time. They hated the thought of going back to little homes to be household drudges, dependent for pocket-money on father and brothers. They had not only tasted liberty. They had made themselves free of the large world. They had proved their quality and strength. They were as good as men, and mostly better. Why should they slink back to the little narrow rut of life? But the men said, "Get out. Give us back our jobs."

It was hard on the officer boys—hardest of all on them. They had gone straight from school to the war, and had commanded men twice as old as themselves, and drawn good pay for pocket-money as first lieutenants, captains, even majors of air-squadrons and tank battalions. They had gained immense experience in the arts and crafts of war, and that erperience was utterly useless in peace.

"My dear young man," said the heads of prosperous businesses who had been out to "beat the Boche," even though they sacrificed their only sons, or all their sons (with heroic courage!). "You have been wasting your time. You have no qualifications whatever for a junior clerkship in this office. On the contrary, you have probably contracted habits of idleness and inaccuracy which would cause a lot of trouble. This vacancy is