A young officer was at a railway station. On his way home, he wanted to telephone his mother to tell her the time of histrain, so that she could meet him at the station in her car. He looked in all his pockets, but found that he did not have the right money for the telephone, so he went outside and looked around for someone to help him.
At last an old soldier came by, and the young officer stopped him and said, "Have you got change for tenpence?"
"Wait a moment, " the old soldier answered, beginning to put his hand in his pocket, "I'll see whether I can help you. "
"Don't you know how to speak to anofficer?" the young man said angrily. "Now let's start again. Haveyou got change for ten pence?"
"No, sir, " the old soldier answered quickly.