tree，andyoungMorlandstoodlookingather。Whyshouldonefaceandnotanother，thisvoiceandnotthat，makeaheartbeat;whyshouldatouchfromonehandawakenrapture，andatouchfromanotherawakennothing？Hekneltdownandpressedhislipstoherfoot。Hereyesgrewverybright;butshegotupandranon——shehadnotexpectedhimtokissherfoot。Sheheardhimhurryingafterher，andstopped，leaningagainstabirchtrunk。Herushedtoher，and，withoutawordspoken，hislipswereonherlips。Themomentinlife，whichnowordscanrender，hadcomeforthem。Theyhadfoundtheirenchantedspot，andtheymovednofurther，butsatwiththeirarmsroundeachother，whilethehappyBeingofthewoodwatched。A
　　marvellousspeeder—upofLoveisWar。Whatmighthavetakensixmonths，wasthusaccomplishedinthreeweeks。
　　Ashorthourpassed，thenNoelsaid:
　　"ImusttellDaddy，Cyril。Imeanttotellhimsomethingthismorning，onlyIthoughtI’dbetterwait，incaseyoudidn’t。"
　　Morlandanswered:"Oh，Noel！"Itwasthestapleofhisconversationwhiletheysatthere。
　　Againashorthourpassed，andMorlandsaid:
　　"Ishallgooffmychumpifwe’renotmarriedbeforeIgoout。"
　　"Howlongdoesittake？"
　　"Notime，ifwehurryup。I’vegotsixdaysbeforeIrejoin，andperhapstheChiefwillgivemeanotherweek，ifItellhim。"
　　"PoorDaddy！Kissmeagain;alongone。"
　　Whenthelongonewasover，shesaid:
　　"ThenIcancomeandbenearyoutillyougoout？Oh，Cyril！"
　　"Oh，Noel！"
　　"Perhapsyouwon’tgososoon。Don’tgoifyoucanhelpit！"
　　"NotifIcanhelpit，darling;butIshan’tbeable。"
　　"No，of，coursenot;Iknow。"
　　YoungMorlandclutchedhishair。"Everyone’sinthesameboat，butitcan’tlastforever;andnowwe’reengagedwecanbetogetherallthetimetillI’vegotthelicenceorwhateveritis。Andthen——！"
　　"Daddywon’tlikeournotbeingmarriedinachurch;butIdon’tcare！"
　　Lookingdownatherclosedeyes，andtheirlashesrestingonhercheeks，youngMorlandthought:
　　’MyGod！I’minheaven！’
　　Anothershorthourpassedbeforeshefreedherself。
　　"Wemustgo，Cyril。Kissmeoncemore！"
　　Itwasnearlydinner—time，andtheyrandown。
　　4
　　EdwardPierson，returningfromtheEveningService，wherehehadreadtheLessons，sawtheminthedistance，andcompressedhislips。
　　Theirlongabsencehadvexedhim。Whatoughthetodo？InthepresenceofLove’syoungdream，hefeltstrangeandhelpless。Thatnight，whenheopenedthedoorofhisroom，hesawNoelonthewindow—seat，inherdressing—gown，withthemoonlightstreaminginonher。
　　"Don’tlightup，Daddy;I’vegotsomethingtosay。"
　　Shetookholdofthelittlegoldcrossonhisvest，andturneditover。
　　"I’mengagedtoCyril;wewanttobemarriedthisweek。"
　　Itwasexactlyasifsomeonehadpunchedhimintheribs;andatthesoundhemadeshehurriedon:
　　"Yousee，wemustbe;hemaybegoingoutanyday。"
　　Inthemidstofhisachingconsternation，headmittedakindofreasoninherwords。Buthesaid:
　　"Mydear，you’reonlyachild。Marriageisthemostseriousthinginlife;you’veonlyknownhimthreeweeks。"
　　"Iknowallthat，Daddy"hervoicesoundedsoridiculouslycalm;"butwecan’taffordtowait。Hemightnevercomeback，yousee，andthenIshouldhavemissedhim。"
　　"But，Noel，supposeheneverdidcomeback;itwouldonlybemuchworseforyou。"
　　Shedroppedthelittlecross，andtookholdofhishand，pressingitagainstherheart。Butstillhervoicewascalm:
　　"No;muchbetter，Daddy;youthinkIdon’tknowmyownfeelings，butIdo，"’
　　ThemaninPiersonsoftened;thepriesthardened。
　　"Nollie，truemarriageistheunionofsouls;andforthat，timeiswanted。Timetoknowthatyoufeelandthinkthesame，andlovethesamethings。"
　　"Yes，Iknow;butwedo。"
　　"Youcan’ttellthat，mydear;noonecouldinthreeweeks。"
　　"Butthesearen’tordinarytimes，arethey？Peoplehavetodothingsinahurry。Oh，Daddy！Beanangel！Motherwouldhaveunderstood，andletme，Iknow！"
　　Piersondrewawayhishand;thewordshurt，fromreminderofhisloss，fromreminderofthepoorsubstitutehewas。
　　"Look，Nollie！"hesaid。"Afteralltheseyearssincesheleftus，I’maslonelyasever，becausewewerereallyone。Ifyoumarrythisyoungmanwithoutknowingmoreofyourownheartsthanyoucaninsuchalittletime，youmayregretitdreadfully;youmayfinditturnout，afterall，nothingbutalittleemptypassion;oragain，ifanythinghappenstohimbeforeyou’vehadanyrealmarriedlifetogether，you’llhaveamuchgreatergriefandsenseoflosstoputupwiththanifyousimplystayengagedtillafterthewar。Besides，mychild，you’remuchtooyoung。"
　　Shesatsostillthathelookedatherinalarm。"ButImust！"
　　Hebithislips，andsaidsharply:"Youcan’t，Nollie！"
　　Shegotup，andbeforehecouldstopher，wasgone。Withtheclosingofthedoor，hisangerevaporated，anddistresstookitsplace。Poorchild！Whattodowiththiswaywardchickenjustoutoftheegg，andwantingtobefull—fledgedatonce？Thethoughtthatshewouldbelyingmiserable，crying，perhaps，besethimsothathewentoutintothepassageandtappedonherdoor。Gettingnoanswer，hewentin。
　　Itwasdarkbutforastreakofmoonlight，andinthathesawher，lyingonherbed，facedown;andstealinguplaidhishandonherhead。Shedidnotmove;and，strokingherhair，hesaidgently:
　　"Nolliedear，Ididn’tmeantobeharsh。IfIwereyourmother，I
　　shouldknowhowtomakeyousee，butI’monlyanoldbumble—daddy。"
　　Sherolledover，scramblingintoacross—leggedpostureonthebed。
　　Hecouldseehereyesshining。Butshedidnotspeak;sheseemedtoknowthatinsilencewasherstrength。
　　Hesaidwithasortofdespair:
　　"Youmustletmetalkitoverwithyouraunt。Shehasalotofgoodsense。"
　　"Yes。"
　　Hebentoverandkissedherhotforehead。
　　"Goodnight，mydear;don’tcry。Promiseme！"
　　Shenodded，andliftedherface;hefeltherhotsoftlipsonhisforehead，andwentawayalittlecomforted。
　　ButNoelsatonherbed，huggingherknees，listeningtothenight，totheemptinessandsilence;eachminutesomuchlostofthelittle，littletimeleft，thatshemighthavebeenwithhim。
　　III
　　Piersonwokeafteratroubledanddreamfulnight，inwhichhehadthoughthimselfwanderinginheavenlikealostsoul。
　　Afterregaininghisroomlastnightnothinghadstruckhimmoreforciblythantheneedlessnessofhiswords:"Don’tcry，Nollie！"
　　forhehadrealisedwithuneasinessthatshehadnotbeennearcrying。No;therewasinhersomeemotionverydifferentfromthetearful。Hekeptseeinghercross—leggedfigureonthebedinthatdimlight;tense，enigmatic，almostChinese;keptfeelingthefeverishtouchofherlips。Agoodgirlishburstoftearswouldhavedonehergood，andbeenaguarantee。Hehadtheuncomfortableconvictionthathisrefusalhadpassedherby，asifunspoken。And，sincehecouldnotgoandmakemusicatthattimeofnight，hehadendedonhisknees，inalongsearchforguidance，whichwasnotvouchsafedhim。
　　Theculpritsweredemureatbreakfast;noonecouldhavetoldthatforthelasthourtheyhadbeensittingwiththeirarmsroundeachother，watchingtheriverflowby，talkingbutlittle，throughlipstoobusy。Piersonpursuedhissister—in—lawtotheroomwhereshedidherflowerseverymorning。Hewatchedherforaminutedividingramblersfrompansies，cornflowersfromsweetpeas，beforehesaid:
　　"I’mverytroubled，Thirza。Nolliecametomelastnight。Imagine！
　　Theywanttogetmarried——thosetwo！"
　　Acceptinglifeasitcame，Thirzashowednodismay，buthercheeksgrewalittlepinker，andhereyesalittlerounder。Shetookupasprigofmignonette，andsaidplacidly:
　　"Oh，mydear！"
　　"Thinkofit，Thirza——thatchild！Why，it’sonlyayearortwosincesheusedtositonmykneeandticklemyfacewithherhair。"
　　Thirzawentonarrangingherflowers。
　　"Noelisolderthanyouthink，Edward;sheismorethanherage。Andrealmarriedlifewouldn’tbeginforthemtillafter——ifiteverbegan。"
　　Piersonexperiencedasortofshock。Hissister—in—law’swordsseemedcriminallylight—hearted。
　　"But——but——"hestammered;"theunion，Thirza！Whocantellwhatwillhappenbeforetheycometogetheragain！"
　　Shelookedathisquiveringface，andsaidgently:
　　"Iknow，Edward;butifyourefuse，Ishouldbeafraid，inthesedays，ofwhatNoelmightdo。Itoldyouthere’sastreakofdesperationinher。"
　　"Noelwillobeyme。"
　　"Iwonder！Therearesomanyofthesewarmarriagesnow。"
　　Piersonturnedaway。
　　"Ithinkthey’redreadful。Whatdotheymean——Justamomentarygratificationofpassion。Theymightjustaswellnotbe。"
　　"Theymeanpensions，asarule，"saidThirzacalmly。
　　"Thirza，thatiscynical;besides，itdoesn’taffectthiscase。I
　　can’tbeartothinkofmylittleNolliegivingherselfforamomentwhichmaycometonothing，ormayturnoutthebeginningofanunhappymarriage。Whoisthisboy——whatishe？Iknownothingofhim。HowcanIgivehertohim——it’simpossible！IftheyhadbeenengagedsometimeandIknewsomethingofhim——yes，perhaps;evenatherage。Butthishastypassionateness——itisn’tright，itisn’tdecent。Idon’tunderstand，Ireallydon’t——howachildlikethatcanwantit。Thefactis，shedoesn’tknowwhatshe’sasking，poorlittleNollie。Shecan’tknowthenatureofmarriage，andshecan’trealiseitssacredness。Ifonlyhermotherwerehere！Talktoher，Thirza;youcansaythingsthatIcan’t！"
　　Thirzalookedaftertheretreatingfigure。Inspiteofhiscloth，perhapsalittlebecauseofit，heseemedtoherlikeachildwhohadcometoshowherhissorefinger。And，havingfinishedthearrangementofherflowers，shewentouttofindherniece。Shehadnotfartogo;forNoelwasstandinginthehall，quiteevidentlylyinginwait。Theywentouttogethertotheavenue。
　　Thegirlbeganatonce:
　　"Itisn’tanyusetalkingtome，Auntie;Cyrilisgoingtogetalicense。"
　　"Oh！Soyou’vemadeupyourminds？"
　　"Quite。"
　　"Doyouthinkthat’sfairbyme，Nollie？ShouldIhaveaskedhimhereifI’dthoughtthiswasgoingtohappen？"
　　Noelonlysmiled。
　　"Haveyoutheleastideawhatmarriagemeans？"
　　Noelnodded。
　　"Really？"
　　"Ofcourse。Gratianismarried。Besides，atschool——"
　　"Yourfatherisdeadagainstit。Thisisasadthingforhim。He’saperfectsaint，andyououghtn’ttohurthim。Can’tyouwait，atleasttillCyril’snextleave？"
　　"Hemightneverhaveone，yousee。"
　　Theheartofherwhoseboyswereouttheretoo，andmightalsoneverhaveanotherleave;couldnotbutberesponsivetothosewords。Shelookedatherniece，andadimappreciationofthisrevoltoflifemenacedbydeath，ofyouththreatenedwithextinction，stirredinher。Noel’steethwereclenched，herlipsdrawnback，andshewasstaringinfrontofher。
　　"Daddyoughtn’ttomind。Oldpeoplehaven’ttofight，andgetkilled;theyoughtn’ttomindustakingwhatwecan。They’vehadtheirgoodtime。"
　　ItwassuchajustlittlespeechthatThirzaanswered:
　　"Yes;perhapshehasn’tquiterealisedthat。"
　　"IwanttomakesureofCyril，Auntie;IwanteverythingIcanhavewithhimwhilethere’sthechance。Idon’tthinkit’smuchtoask，whenperhapsI’llneverhaveanymoreofhimagain。"
　　Thirzaslippedherhandthroughthegirl’sarm。
　　"Iunderstand，"shesaid。"Only，Nollie，suppose，whenallthisisover，andwebreatheandlivenaturallyoncemore，youfoundyou’dmadeamistake？"
　　Noelshookherhead。"Ihaven’t。"
　　"Weallthinkthat，mydear;butthousandsofmistakesaremadebypeoplewhonomoredreamthey’remakingthemthanyoudonow;andthenit’saveryhorriblebusiness。Itwouldbeespeciallyhorribleforyou;yourfatherbelievesheartandsoulinmarriagebeingforever。"
　　"Daddy’sadarling;butIdon’talwaysbelievewhathebelieves，youknow。Besides，I’mnotmakingamistake，Auntie！IloveCyrileverso。"
　　Thirzagaveherwaistasqueeze。
　　"Youmustn’tmakeamistake。Weloveyoutoomuch，Nollie。IwishwehadGratianhere。"
　　"Gratianwouldbackmeup，"saidNoel;"sheknowswhatthewaris。
　　Andyououghtto，Auntie。IfRexorHarrywantedtobemarried，I’msureyou’dneveropposethem。Andthey’renoolderthanCyril。YoumustunderstandwhatitmeanstomeAuntiedear，tofeelthatwebelongtoeachotherproperlybefore——beforeitallbeginsforhim，and——andtheremaybenomore。Daddydoesn’trealise。Iknowhe’sawfullygood，but——he’sforgotten。"
　　"Mydear，Ithinkheremembersonlytoowell。Hewasdesperatelyattachedtoyourmother。"
　　Noelclenchedherhands。
　　"Washe？Well，soamItoCyril，andhetome。Wewouldn’tbeunreasonableifitwasn’t——wasn’tnecessary。Talk，toCyril，Auntie;
　　thenyou’llunderstand。Thereheis;only，don’tkeephimlong，becauseIwanthim。Oh！Auntie;Iwanthimsobadly！"
　　Sheturned;andslippedbackintothehouse;andThirza，consciousofhavingbeendecoyedtothisyoungman，whostoodtherewithhisarmsfolded，likeNapoleonbeforeabattle，smiledandsaid:
　　"Well，Cyril，soyou’vebetrayedme！"
　　Eveninspeakingshewasconsciousofthereallymomentouschangeinthissunburnt，blue—eyed，lazilyimpudentyouthsincethedayhearrived，threeweeksago，intheirlittlewagonette。Hetookherarm，justasNoelhad，andmadehersitdownbesidehimontherusticbench，wherehehadevidentlybeentoldtowait。
　　"Yousee，Mrs。Pierson，"hesaid，"it’snotasifNoelwereanordinarygirlinanordinarytime，isit？Noelisthesortofgirlonewouldknockone’sbrainsoutfor;andtosendmeoutthereknowingthatIcouldhavebeenmarriedtoherandwasn’t，willtakealltheheartoutofme。OfcourseImeantocomeback，butchapsdogetknockedover，andIthinkit’scruelthatwecan’ttakewhatwecanwhilewecan。Besides，I’vegotmoney;andthatwouldbehersanyway。So，dobeadarling，won’tyou？"Heputhisarmroundherwaist，justasifhehadbeenherson，andherheart，whichwantedherownboyssobadly，feltwarmedwithinher。
　　"Yousee，Idon’tknowMr。Pierson，butheseemsawfullygentleandjolly，andifhecouldseeintomehewouldn’tmind，Iknow。Wedon’tmindriskingourlivesandallthat，butwedothinkweoughttohavetherunofthemwhilewe’realive。I’llgivehimmydyingoathoranything，thatIcouldneverchangetowardsNoel，andshe’lldothesame。Oh！Mrs。Pierson，dobeajollybrick，andputinawordforme，quick！We’vegotsofewdays！"
　　"But，mydearboy，"saidThirzafeebly，"doyouthinkit’sfairtosuchachildasNoel？"
　　"Yes，Ido。Youdon’tunderstand;she’ssimplyhadtogrowup。Sheisgrown—up——allinthisweek;she’squiteasoldasIam，really——
　　andI’mtwenty—two。Andyouknowit’sgoingtobe——it’sgottobe——ayoungworld，fromnowon;peoplewillbegindoingthingsmuchearlier。What’stheuseofpretendingit’slikewhatitwas，andbeingcautious，andallthat？IfI’mgoingtobekilled，Ithinkwe’vegotarighttobemarriedfirst;andifI’mnot，thenwhatdoesitmatter？"
　　"You’veknowneachothertwenty—onedays，Cyril。"
　　"No;twenty—oneyears！Everyday’sayearwhenOh！Mrs。Pierson，thisisn’tlikeyou，isit？Younevergotomeettrouble，doyou？"
　　Atthatshrewdremark，Thirzaputherhandonthehandwhichstillclaspedherwaist，andpresseditcloser。
　　"Well，mydear，"shesaidsoftly，"wemustseewhatcanbedone。"
　　CyrilMorlandkissedhercheek。"Iwillblessyouforever，"hesaid。"Ihaven’tgotanypeople，youknow，exceptmytwosisters。"
　　AndsomethingliketearsstarteduponThirza’seyelashes。Theyseemedtoherlikethebabesinthewood——thosetwo！
　　IV
　　1
　　Inthedining—roomofherfather’shouseinthatoldLondonSquarebetweenEastandWest，GratianLaird，intheoutdoorgarbofanurse，waswritingatelegram:"ReverendEdwardPierson，Kestrel，Tintern，Monmouthshire。Georgeterriblyill。Pleasecomeifyoucan。
　　Gratian。"Givingittoamaid，shetookoffherlongcoatandsatdownforamoment。Shehadbeentravellingallnight，afterafullday’swork，andhadonlyjustarrived，tofindherhusbandbetweenlifeanddeath。ShewasverydifferentfromNoel;notquitesotall，butofastrongerbuild;withdarkchestnut—colouredhair，clearhazeleyes，andabroadbrow。Theexpressionofherfacewasearnest，withasortofconstantspiritualenquiry;andasingularlytruthfullook:Shewasjusttwenty;andoftheyearthatshehadbeenmarried，hadonlyspentsixweekswithherhusband;theyhadnotevenahouseoftheirownasyet。Afterrestingfiveminutes，shepassedherhandvigorouslyoverherface，threwbackherhead，andwalkedupstairstotheroomwherehelay。Hewasnotconscious，andtherewasnothingtobedonebutsitandwatchhim。
　　’Ifhedies，’shethought，’IshallhateGodforHiscruelty。IhavehadsixweekswithGeorge;somepeoplehavesixtyyears。’Shefixedhereyesonhisface，shortandbroad，withbumpsof"observation"onthebrows。Hehadbeensunburnt。Thedarklashesofhisclosedeyeslayondeathlyyellowcheeks;histhickhairgrewratherlowonhisbroadforehead。Thelipswerejustopenandshowedstrongwhiteteeth。Hehadalittleclippedmoustache，andhairhadgrownonhisclean—cutjaw。Hispyjamajackethadfallenopen。Gratiandrewitclose。Itwascuriouslystill，foraLondonday，thoughthewindowwaswideopen。Anythingtobreakthisheavystupor，whichwasnotonlyGeorge’s，butherown，andtheveryworld’s！Thecrueltyofit——whenshemightbegoingtolosehimforever，inafewhoursordays！Shethoughtoftheirlastparting。Ithadnotbeenveryloving，hadcometoosoonafteroneofthoseargumentstheywereinclinedtohave，inwhichtheycouldnotasyetdisagreewithsuavity。Georgehadsaidtherewasnofuturelifefortheindividual;shehadmaintainedtherewas。Theyhadgrownhotandimpatient。Eveninthecabonthewaytohistraintheyhadpursuedthewretcheddiscussion，andthelastkisshadbeenfromlipsonlipsyetwarmfromdisagreement。
　　Eversince，asifincompunction，shehadbeenwaveringtowardshispointofview;andnow，whenhewasperhapstosolvetheproblem——
　　findoutforcertain——shehadcometofeelthatifhedied，shewouldneverseehimafter。Itwascruelthatsuchablightshouldhavecomeonherbeliefatthis，ofallmoments。
　　Shelaidherhandonhis。Itwaswarm，feltstrong，althoughsomotionlessandhelpless。Georgewassovigorous，soalive，andstrong—willed;itseemedimpossiblethatlifemightbegoingtoplayhimfalse。Sherecalledtheunflinchinglookofhissteel—brighteyes，hisdeep，queerlyvibratingvoice，whichhadnotraceofself—
　　consciousnessorpretence。Sheslippedherhandontohisheart，andbeganveryslowly，gentlyrubbingit。He，asdoctor，andshe，asnurse，hadbothseensomuchofdeaththeselasttwoyears！Yetitseemedsuddenlyasifshehadneverseendeath，andthattheyoungfacesshehadseen，emptyandwhite，inthehospitalwards，hadjustbeenashow。Deathwouldappeartoherforthefirsttime，ifthisfacewhichshelovedweretobedrainedforeveroflightandcolourandmovementandmeaning。
　　AhumblebeefromtheSquareGardenboomedinandbuzzedidlyroundtheroom。Shecaughtherbreathinalittlesob……
　　2
　　Piersonreceivedthattelegramatmidday，returningfromalonelywalkafterhistalkwithThirza。ComingfromGratiansoself—
　　reliant——itmeanttheworst。Hepreparedatoncetocatchthenexttrain。Noelwasout，nooneknewwhere:sowithasickfeelinghewrote:
　　"DEARESTCHILD，"IamgoinguptoGratian;poorGeorgeisdesperatelyill。Ifitgoesbadlyyoushouldbewithyoursister。Iwillwireto—morrowmorningearly。Ileaveyouinyouraunt’shands，mydear。Bereasonableandpatient。Godblessyou。
　　"Yourdevoted’DADDY。"
　　Hewasaloneinhisthird—classcompartment，and，leaningforward，watchedtheruinedAbbeyacrosstherivertillitwasoutofsight。
　　Thoseoldmonkshadlivedinanagesurelynotsosadasthis。Theymusthavehadpeacefullives，remotedownhere，indayswhentheChurchwasgreatandlovely，andmenlaiddowntheirlivesfortheirbeliefinher，andbuilteverlastingfanestothegloryofGod！Whatachangetothisageofrushandhurry，ofscience，trade，materialprofit，andthisterriblewar！Hetriedtoreadhispaper，butitwasfullofhorrorsandhate。’Whenwillitend？’hethought。Andthetrainwithitsrhythmicjoltingseemedgrindingouttheanswer:
　　"Never——never！"
　　AtChepstowasoldiergotin，followedbyawomanwithaveryflushedfaceandcurious，swimmyeyes;herhairwasindisorder，andherlipbleeding，asifshehadbittenitthrough。Thesoldier，too，lookedstrainedanddesperate。Theysatdown，farapart，ontheseatopposite。Pierson，feelingthathewasintheirway，triedtohidehimselfbehindhispaper;whenhelookedagain，thesoldierhadtakenoffhistunicandcapandwasleaningoutofthewindow。Thewoman，ontheseat’sedge，sniffingandwipingherface，methisglancewithresentfuleyes，then，gettingup，shepulledtheman’ssleeve。
　　"Sitdahn;don’t’angouto’there。"
　　ThesoldierflunghimselfbackontheseatandlookedatPierson。
　　"Thewifean’me’s’adabitofarow，"hesaidcompanionably。"Gitsonmenerves;I’mnotusedtoit。Shewasinaraid，and’ernervesareallgonefunny;ain’tthey，oldgirl？Makesmefeelme’ead。
　　I’vebeenwoundedthere，youknow;can’tstandmuchnow。Imightdosomethin’ifshewastogoonlikethisforlong。"
　　Piersonlookedatthewoman，buthereyesstillmethisresentfully。
　　Thesoldierheldoutapacketofcigarettes。"Takeone，"hesaid。
　　Piersontookoneand，feelingthatthesoldierwantedhimtospeak，murmured:"Weallhavethesetroubleswiththosewe’refondof;thefonderweareofpeople，themorewefeelthem，don’twe？Ihadonewithmydaughterlastnight。"
　　"Ah！"saidthesoldier;"that’sright。Thewifeandme’llmakeitup。’Ere，comeorfit，oldgirl。"
　　>Frombehindhispaperhesoonbecameconsciousofthesoundsofreconciliation——reproachesbecausesomeonehadbeenofferedadrink，kissesmixedwithmildslappings，andabuse。WhentheygotoutatBristolthesoldiershookhishandwarmly，butthewomanstillgavehimherresentfulstare，andhethoughtdreamily:’Thewar！Howitaffectseveryone！’Hiscarriagewasinvadedbyaswarmofsoldiers，andtherestofthejourneywaspassedinmakinghimselfsmall。Whenatlasthereachedhome，Gratianmethiminthehall。
　　"Justthesame。Thedoctorsaysweshallknowinafewhoursnow。
　　Howsweetofyoutocome！Youmustbetired，inthisheat。Itwasdreadfultospoilyourholiday。"
　　"Mydear！AsifMayIgoupandseehim？"
　　GeorgeLairdwasstilllyinginthatstupor。AndPiersonstoodgazingdownathimcompassionately。Likemostparsons，hehadawideacquaintancewiththesickanddying;andoneremorselessfellowshipwithdeath。Death！Thecommonestthingintheworld，now——commonerthanlife！Thisyoungdoctormusthaveseenmanydieintheselasttwoyears，savedmanyfromdeath;andtherehelay，notabletoliftafingertosavehimself。Piersonlookedathisdaughter;whatastrong，promisingyoungcoupletheywere！Andputtinghisarmroundher，heledherawaytothesofa，whencetheycouldseethesickman。