The Waterloo Colour and Other Stories by Mike Hogan

Author:Mike Hogan [Hogan, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kaleidoscope Productions
Published: 2019-09-02T04:00:00+00:00

Holmes and I saw Abbé Malet and Inspector Dubugue onto the train at Waterloo Station, and then we sauntered across the concourse towards the refreshment rooms for luncheon.

“Well, Watson?” Holmes smiled a quizzical smile.

I considered. “The French captain spared Lewin’s life in single combat. To have killed him with a ranged weapon would have stained the ensign’s honour and that of the flag he had repeatedly defended with such valour and disdain for his own life. A very fair outcome, Holmes, if delayed.”

My friend frowned. “Can individual honour transcend the honour of the regiment, of the nation?”

I pondered the question for a long moment. “It’s now perfectly clear to me that it will be a sad day if our country prizes national over individual honour. Remember Johnson’s dictum ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel’. Of course, he was referring to false patriotism, not legitimate love of Queen and country.”

“What of the Duke of Wellington’s honour?”

I considered. “If the Duke falsified history and destroyed the career of a junior officer to preserve his personal reputation, I continue to applaud his martial skills, but I reserve judgement on other aspects of his character.”

I followed Holmes into the restaurant, and we occupied a corner table with a view of the concourse.

Holmes opened his menu. “You recall the Southey poem in which an aged nurse describes the glorious battles of Marlborough to a child?” He asked. “The boy replies:

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