Waterloo

-          Arthur Conan Doyle

When Norah Brewster, a country girl, arrives at the house of Corporal Gregory Brewster, 96, she finds it messy and poorly managed. He is her granduncle. At the time of her arrival both her uncle and his housekeeper are absent. She has been sent by her parents to look after him.

Sergeant McDonald, a young soldier, enters the house and wants to meet the Corporal. He has heard about his bravery in the battle of Waterloo, so is impressed by him very much.

There is a portrait of the Corporal on the wall with a cutting from a newspaper dated August 1815 beside it. It contains news about the ceremony on which the Corporal got the medal of honour for his daring contribution in the battle.

As soon as McDonald exits, the Corporal arrives at the house and calls his housekeeper from outside. Norah introduces herself to the Corporal and says that she has come there to take care of him. He is hungry, so asks for food and eats greedily. The Corporal is more worried about the cold than anything else.

When Norah says she came by the morning train, the Corporal is surprised because she is not afraid of the train. He is surprised at the development of the modern technology. He is fond of talking about the battle.

Sergeant McDonald enters again with some of his friends. He introduces himself to the Corporal who starts describing him how he fought in the battle. Meanwhile, he drops his pipe that is broken and he sobs like a small boy. The sergeant gives him his own pipe and the Corporal is happy.

After the sergeant has gone out, Norah thinks about him. She has been attracted by him. She thinks that he will also be like her granduncle after sixty years.

The Corporal wants to have Norah read the Bible for him. But he likes the part that contains the description of war.

Meanwhile, colonel Midwinter in civilian dress enters. The Corporal rises up to salute the colonel but cannot control himself properly. He describes the colonel about the battle. The colonel gives him some money as a gift on behalf of his army men. The Corporal expresses his wish for the respect by the army after his death. The colonel promises that he will be provided the respect.

After the colonel has gone out, the sergeant arrives. He invites Norah to the barrack to have a look at it. Suddenly, the Corporal rises on his feet screaming in a loud voice. He is having a dream about the battle. Then, he collapses to the ground. He is dead.