《Sleep now in the fire》Chapter 10. Empire

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Chapter 10. Empire

1914 London

A raven that quotes Chaucer - Dr.Gideon Marchant shook his

head in disbelief, even after a month it was still uncanny.

"Nothing ventured nothing gained." the raven cawed.

He fed it a slice of pear as it perched on the window sill.

The War Office had taken over the entire building and the

bird had been inherited from the previous tenants.

Gideon held out another piece of fruit.

"No empty handed man can lure a bird." he said.

The raven crooked its' head as if considering his words

then took what was offered.

Gideon looked at the crowd gathering in the street below.

Each day he watched the number of men who wanted to

volunteer for war service grow.

It had been that way since August.

The English army had its first engagement with the much

larger and more experienced invading German forces at

Mons in Belgium. After a small initial victory, it was an almost

inevitable defeat with heavy losses.

What followed was a demoralizing two week retreat

into France. Everyday now, more men waited for the enlistment

depot doors to open. Gideon sighed.

"And thus," he said to the raven, "the sins of the Fathers will be

visited upon the sons."

*

When the medical board offered him a civilian position with

the War department, Gideon closed his practice in Oxford and

moved to London. He told his family and friends that he wanted

to do his bit for the war effort. It was a lie - he didn't care at all

about the War, or the King or his damned British empire.

The position was regular paid employment and that was all.

One thing he was glad for though, was the opportunity to

escape the insufferable musings of the Oxford intellectual

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social set.

He shared a terrace house with his sister Aida in central

London that overlooked Regents Park. Most mornings he walked

the two miles to the enlistment depot in Scotland yard, and often

shared the streets and sidewalks with men he would see later

in the day. He walked unnoticed among them listening to

their regional accents and their conversations.

Some were after adventure or at least an escape from the everyday.

Some, like himself saw it as nothing more than a way to earn money.

But the vast majority? They wanted nothing more than to fly the

colours, for King and country.

Their blind patriotism made him feel deeply uneasy.

Why were they so eager to defend an Empire that had nothing

but contempt for the working class?

Had they thought about what would happen to their families

if they didn't come home - or worse - came home broken beyond repair.

The men that stood out most to him though, were the older ones.

Sober and quiet - they usually walked alone, appearing sometimes

to be lost in thought. He knew what they were.

They were veterans like himself.

Men who had seen what the harvest of war brings.

*

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