"Ifhedies，Dad——"shewhispered。
　　"HewillhavediedfortheCountry，mylove，asmuchaseveroursoldiersdo。"
　　"Iknow;butthat’snocomfort。I’vebeenwatchinghereallday;
　　I’vebeenthinking;menwillbejustasbrutalafterwards——morebrutal。Theworldwillgoonthesame。"
　　"Wemusthopenot。Shallwepray，Gracie？"
　　Gratianshookherhead。
　　"IfIcouldbelievethattheworld——ifIcouldbelieveanything！
　　I’velostthepower，Dad;Idon’tevenbelieveinafuturelife。IfGeorgedies，weshallnevermeetagain。"
　　Piersonstaredatherwithoutaword。
　　Gratianwenton:"Thelasttimewetalked，IwasangrywithGeorgebecausehelaughedatmybelief;nowthatIreallywantbelief，I
　　feelthathewasright。"
　　Piersonsaidtremulously:
　　"No，no，mydear;it’sonlythatyou’reoverwrought。GodinHismercywillgiveyoubackbelief。"
　　"ThereisnoGod，Dad"
　　"Mydarlingchild，whatareyousaying？"
　　"NoGodwhocanhelpus;Ifeelit。IftherewereanyGodwhocouldtakepartinourlives，alteranythingwithoutourwill，kneworcaredwhatwedid——Hewouldn’tlettheworldgoonasitdoes。"
　　"But，mydear，Hispurposesareinscrutable。WedarenotsayHeshouldnotdothisorthat，ortrytofathomtowhatendsHeisworking。"
　　"ThenHe’snogoodtous。It’sthesameasifHedidn’texist。WhyshouldIprayforGeorge’slifetoOnewhoseendsarejustHisown？
　　IknowGeorgeoughtn’ttodie。Ifthere’saGodwhocanhelp，itwillbeawickedshameifGeorgedies;ifthere’saGodwhocanhelp，it’sawickedshamewhenbabiesdie，andallthesemillionsofpoorboys。Iwouldratherthinkthere’snoGodthanahelplessorawickedGod——"
　　Herfatherhadsuddenlythrownuphishandstohisears。Shemovedcloser，andputherarmroundhim。
　　"Daddear，I’msorry。Ididn’tmeantohurtyou。
　　Piersonpressedherfacedowntohisshoulder;andsaidinadullvoice:
　　"Whatdoyouthinkwouldhavehappenedtome，Gracie，ifIhadlostbeliefwhenyourmotherdied？Ihaveneverlostbelief。PrayGodI
　　nevershall！"
　　Gratianmurmured:
　　"GeorgewouldnotwishmetopretendIbelieve——hewouldwantmetobehonest。IfI’mnothonest，Ishan’tdeservethatheshouldlive。
　　Idon’tbelieve，andIcan’tpray。"
　　"Mydarling，you’reovertired。"
　　"No，Dad。"Sheraisedherheadfromhisshoulderand，claspingherhandsroundherknees，lookedstraightbeforeher。"Wecanonlyhelpourselves;andIcanonlybearitifIrebel。"
　　Piersonsatwithtremblinglips，feelingthatnothinghecouldsaywouldtouchherjustthen。Thesickman’sfacewashardlyvisiblenowinthetwilight，andGratianwentovertohisbed。Shestoodlookingdownathimalongtime。
　　"Goandrest，Dad;thedoctor’scomingagainateleven。I’llcallyouifIwantanything。Ishallliedownalittle，besidehim。"
　　Piersonkissedher，andwentout。Tolietherebesidehimwouldbethegreatestcomfortshecouldget。Hewenttothebarenarrowlittleroomhehadoccupiedeversincehiswifedied;and，takingoffhisboots，walkedupanddown，withafeelingofalmostcrushingloneliness。Bothhisdaughtersinsuchtrouble，andheofnousetothem！ItwasasifLifewerepushinghimutterlyaside！Hefeltconfused，helpless，bewildered。SurelyifGratianlovedGeorge，shehadnotleftGod’sside，whatevershemightsay。Then，consciousoftheprofoundheresyofthisthought，hestoodstillattheopenwindow。
　　Earthlylove——heavenlylove;wasthereanyanalogybetweenthem？
　　>FromtheSquareGardenstheindifferentwhisperoftheleavesanswered;andanewsvendoratthefarend，bawlinghisnightlytaleofmurder。
　　3
　　GeorgeLairdpassedthecrisisofhisillnessthatnight，andinthemorningwaspronouncedoutofdanger。Hehadasplendidconstitution，and——Scotsmanonhisfather’sside——afightingcharacter。Hecamebacktolifeveryweak，butavidofrecovery;andhisfirstwordswere:"I’vebeenhangingovertheedge，Gracie！"
　　Averyhighcliff，andhisbodyhalfover，balancing;oneinch，themerestfractionofaninchmore，andoverhewouldhavegone。Deucedrumsensation！Butnotsohorribleasitwouldhavebeeninreallife。Withtheslipofthatlastinchhefelthewouldhavepassedatonceintooblivion，withoutthelonghorrorofafall。Sothiswaswhatitwasforallthepoorfellowshehadseenslipinthepasttwoyears！Mercifully，attheend，onewasnotaliveenoughtobeconsciousofwhatonewasleaving，notaliveenougheventocare。Ifhehadbeenabletotakeinthepresenceofhisyoungwife，abletorealisethathewaslookingatherface，touchingherforthelasttime——itwouldhavebeenhell;ifhehadbeenuptorealisingsunlight，moonlight，thesoundoftheworld’slifeoutside，thesoftnessofthebedhelayon——itwouldhavemeantthemostpoignantanguishofdefraudment。Lifewasararegoodthing，andtobesquashedoutofitwithyourpowersatfull，awretchedmistakeinNature’sarrangements，awretchedvillainyonthepartofMan——forhisowndeath，likeallthoseothermillionsofprematuredeaths，wouldhavebeenduetotheidiocyandbrutalityofmen！Hecouldsmilenow，withGratianlookingdownathim，buttheexperiencehadheapedfuelonafirewhichhadalwayssmoulderedinhisdoctor’ssoulagainstthathalfemancipatedbreedofapes，thehumanrace。
　　Well，nowhewouldgetafewdaysofffromhisdeath—carnival！Andhelay，feastinghisreturningsensesonhiswife。Shemadeaprettynurse，andhispractisedeyejudgedheragoodone——firmandquiet。
　　GeorgeLairdwasthirty。AttheopeningofthewarhewasinanEast—Endpractice，andhadvolunteeredatonceforservicewiththeArmy。Forthefirstninemonthshehadbeenrightupinthethickofit。Apoisonedarm;ratherthantheauthorities，hadsenthimhome。
　　DuringthatleavehemarriedGratian。HehadknownthePiersonssometime;and，madeconsciousoftheinstabilityoflife，hadresolvedtomarryheratthefirstchancehegot。Forhisfather—in—lawhehadrespectandliking，evermixedwithwhatwasnotquitecontemptandnotquitepity。Theblendofauthoritywithhumility，clericwithdreamer，monkwithartist，mysticwithmanofaction，inPierson，excitedinhimaninterested，butoftenirritated，wonder。Hesawthingssodifferentlyhimself，andhadlittleofthehumorouscuriositywhichenjoyswhatisstrangesimplybecauseitisstrange。
　　Theycouldnevertalktogetherwithoutsoonreachingapointwhenhewantedtosay:"Ifwe’renottotrustourreasonandoursensesforwhatthey’reworth，sir——willyoukindlytellmewhatwearetotrust？Howcanweexertthemtotheutmostinsomematters，andinotherssuddenlyturnourbacksonthem？"Once，inoneoftheirdiscussions，whichoftenborderedonacrimony，hehadexpoundedhimselfatlength。
　　"Igrant，"hehadsaid，"thatthere’sagreatultimateMystery，thatweshallneverknowanythingforcertainabouttheoriginoflifeandtheprincipleoftheUniverse;butwhyshouldwesuddenlyshutupourenquiringapparatusanddenyalltheevidenceofourreason——say，aboutthestoryofChrist，orthequestionofafuturelife，orourmoralcode？Ifyouwantmetoenteratempleoflittlemysteries，leavingmyreasonandsensesbehind——asaMohammedanleaveshisshoes——itwon’tdotosaytomesimply:’Thereitis！Enter！’Youmustshowmethedoor;andyoucan’t！AndI’lltellyouwhy，sir。
　　Becauseinyourbrainthere’salittletwistwhichisnotinmine，orthelackofalittletwistwhichisinmine。Nothingmorethanthatdividesusintothetwomainspeciesofmankind，oneofwhomworships，andoneofwhomdoesn’t。Oh，yes！Iknow;youwon’tadmitthat，becauseitmakesyourreligionsnaturalinsteadofwhatyoucallsupernatural。ButIassureyouthere’snothingmoretoit。
　　Youreyeslookuportheylookdown——theyneverlookstraightbeforethem。Well，minedojusttheopposite。"
　　ThatdayPiersonhadbeenfeelingverytired，andthoughtomeetthisattackwasvital，hehadbeenunabletomeetit。Hisbrainhadstammered。Hehadturnedalittleaway，leaninghischeekonhishand，asiftocoverthatmomentarybreakinhisdefences。Somedayslaterhehadsaid:
　　"Iamablenowtoansweryourquestions，George。IthinkIcanmakeyouunderstand。"
　　Lairdhadanswered:"Allright，sir;goahead。"
　　"Youbeginbyassumingthatthehumanreasonisthefinaltestofallthings。Whatrighthaveyoutoassumethat？Supposeyouwereanant。Youwouldtakeyourant’sreasonasthefinaltest，wouldn’tyou？Wouldthatbethetruth？"Andasmilehadfixeditselfonhislipsabovehislittlegravebeard。
　　GeorgeLairdalsohadsmiled。
　　"Thatseemsagoodpoint，sir，"hesaid，"untilyourecognisethatI
　　don’ttake，thehumanreasonasfinaltestinanyabsolutesense。I
　　onlysayit’sthehighesttestwecanapply;andthat，behindthattestallisquitedarkandunknowable。"
　　"Revelation，then，meansnothingtoyou？"
　　"Nothing，sir。"
　　"Idon’tthinkwecanusefullygoon，George。"
　　"Idon’tthinkwecan，sir。Intalkingwithyou，Ialwaysfeellikefightingamanwithonehandtiedbehindhisback。"
　　"AndI，perhaps，feelthatIamarguingwithonewhowasblindfrombirth。"
　　Forallthat，theyhadoftenarguedsince;butneverwithoutthosepeculiarsmilescomingontheirfaces。Still，theyrespectedeachother，andPiersonhadnotopposedhisdaughter’smarriagetothisheretic，whomheknewtobeanhonestandtrustworthyman。IthadtakenplacebeforeLaird’sarmwaswell，andthetwohadsnatchedamonth’shoneymoonbeforehewentbacktoFrance，andshetoherhospitalinManchester。Sincethen，justoneFebruaryfortnightbytheseahadbeenalltheirtimetogether……
　　Intheafternoonhehadaskedforbeeftea，and，havingdrunkacup，said:
　　"I’vegotsomethingtotellyourfather。"
　　Butwarnedbythepallorofhissmilinglips，Gratiananswered:
　　"Tellmefirst，George。"
　　"Ourlasttalk，Gracie;well——there’snothing——ontheotherside。I
　　lookedover;it’sasblackasyourhat。"
　　Gratianshivered。
　　"Iknow。Whileyouwerelyingherelastnight，Itoldfather。"
　　Hesqueezedherhand，andsaid:"Ialsowanttotellhim。"
　　"Dadwillsaythemotiveforlifeisgone。"
　　"Isayitleapsoutallthemore，Gracie。Whatamesswemakeofit——weangel—apes！Whenshallwebemen，Iwonder？YouandI，Gracie，willfightforadecentlifeforeverybody。Nohands—uppingaboutthat！Benddown！It’sgoodtotouchyouagain;everything’sgood。
　　I’mgoingtohaveasleep……"
　　Afterthereliefofthedoctor’sreportintheearlymorningPiersonhadgonethroughahardstruggle。WhatshouldhewiretoNoel？Helongedtogetherbackhome，awayfromtemptationtotheburningindiscretionofthismarriage。ButoughthetosuppressreferencetoGeorge’sprogress？Wouldthatbehonest？Atlasthesentthistelegram:"Georgeoutofdangerbutveryweak。Comeup。"
　　Bytheafternoonpost，however，hereceivedaletterfromThirza:
　　"IhavehadtwolongtalkswithNoelandCyril。Itisimpossibletobudgethem。AndIreallythink，dearEdward，thatitwillbeamistaketoopposeitrigidly。Hemaynotgooutassoonaswethink。
　　Howwoulditbetoconsenttotheirhavingbannspublished？——thatwouldmeananotherthreeweeksanyway，andinabsencefromeachothertheymightbeinfluencedtoputitoff。I’mafraidthisistheonlychance，forifyousimplyforbidit，Ifeeltheywillrunoffandgetmarriedsomewhereataregistrar’s。"
　　PiersontookthisletteroutwithhimintotheSquareGarden，forpainfulcogitation。Nomancanholdapositionofspiritualauthorityforlongyearswithoutdevelopingthehabitofjudgment。
　　HejudgedNoel’sconducttobeheadlongandundisciplined，andtheveinofstubbornnessinhischaracterfortifiedthefatherandthepriestwithinhim。Thirzadisappointedhim;shedidnotseemtoseetheirretrievablegravityofthishastymarriage。Sheseemedtolookonitassomethingmuchlighterthanitwas，toconsiderthatitmightbelefttoChance，andthatifChanceturnedoutunfavourable，therewouldstillbeawayout。Tohimtherewouldbenowayout。
　　Helookedupatthesky，asifforinspiration。Itwassuchabeautifulday，andsobittertohurthischild，evenforhergood！
　　Whatwouldhermotherhaveadvised？SurelyAgneshadfeltatleastasdeeplyashimselftheuttersolemnityofmarriage！And，sittingthereinthesunlight，hepainfullyhardenedhisheart。Hemustdowhathethoughtright，nomatterwhattheconsequences。Sohewentinandwrotethathecouldnotagree，andwishedNoeltocomebackhomeatonce。
　　V
　　1
　　Butonthesameafternoon，justaboutthathour，Noelwassittingontheriver—bankwithherarmsfoldedtightacrossherchest，andbyhersideCyrilMorland，withdespairinhisface，wastwistingatelegram"Rejointonight。Regimentleavesto—morrow。"
　　Whatconsolationthatamillionsuchtelegramshadbeenreadandsorrowedovertheselasttwoyears！Whatcomfortthatthesunwasdailyblotteddimforhundredsofbrighteyes;thejoyoflifepouredoutandsoppedupbythesandsofdesolation！
　　"Howlonghavewegot，Cyril？"
　　"I’veengagedacarfromtheInn，soIneedn’tleavetillmidnight。
　　I’vepackedalready，tohavemoretime。"
　　"Let’shaveittoourselves，then。Let’sgooffsomewhere。I’vegotsomechocolate。"
　　Morlandansweredmiserably:
　　"Icansendthecaruphereformythings，andhaveitpickmeupattheInn，ifyou’llsaygoodbyetothemforme，afterwards。We’llwalkdowntheline，thenweshan’tmeetanyone。"
　　Andinthebrightsunlighttheywalkedhandinhandoneachsideofashiningrail。AboutsixtheyreachedtheAbbey。
　　"Let’sgetaboat，"saidNoel。"Wecancomebackherewhenit’smoonlight。Iknowawayofgettingin，afterthegate’sshut。"
　　Theyhiredaboat，rowedovertothefarbank，andsatonthesternseat，sidebysideunderthetreeswherethewaterwasstaineddeepgreenbythehighwoods。Iftheytalked，itwasbutawordoflovenowandthen，ortodraweachother’sattentiontoafish，abird，adragon—fly。Whatusemakingplans——forloversthechieftheme？
　　Longingparalysedtheirbrains。Theycoulddonothingbutpressclosetoeachother，theirhandsenlaced，theirlipsmeetingnowandthen。OnNoel’sfacewasastrangefixedstillness，asifshewerewaiting——expecting！Theyatetheirchocolates。Thesunset，dewbegantofall;theriverchanged，andgrewwhiter;theskypaledtothecolourofanamethyst;shadowslengthened，dissolvedslowly。Itwaspastninealready;awater—ratcameout，awhiteowlflewovertheriver，towardstheAbbey。Themoonhadcomeup，butshednolightasyet。Theysawnobeautyinallthis——tooyoung，toopassionate，toounhappy。
　　Noelsaid:"Whenshe’soverthosetrees，Cyril，let’sgo。It’llbehalfdark。"
　　Theywaited，watchingthemoon，whichcreptwithinfiniteslownessupandup，brighteningeversolittleeveryminute。
　　"Now！"saidNoel。AndMorlandrowedacross。
　　Theylefttheboat，andsheledthewaypastanemptycottage，toashedwitharoofslopinguptotheAbbey’slowouterwall。
　　"Wecangetoverhere，"shewhispered。
　　Theyclamberedup，andover，toapieceofgrassycourtyard，andpassedontoaninnercourt，undertheblackshadowofthehighwalls。
　　"What’sthetime？"saidNoel。
　　"Half—pastten。"
　　"Already！Let’ssithereinthedark，andwatchforthemoon。"
　　Theysatdownclosetogether。Noel’sfacestillhadonitthatstrangelookofwaiting;andMorlandsatobedient，withhishandonherheart，andhisownheartbeatingalmosttosuffocation。Theysat，stillasmice，andthemooncreptup。Itlaidafirstvaguegreynessonthehighwall，whichspreadslowlydown，andbrightenedtillthelichenandthegrassesuptherewerevisible;thencrepton，silveringthedarkabovetheirheads。Noelpulledhissleeve，andwhispered:"See！"Therecamethewhiteowl，softasasnowflake，driftingacrossinthatunearthlylight，asifflyingtothemoon。
　　Andjustthenthetopofthemoonitselflookedoverthewall，ashavingofsilverygold。Itgrew，becameabrightspreadfan，thenbalancedthere，fullandround，thecolourofpalehoney。
　　"Ours！"Noelwhispered。
　　2
　　>FromthesideoftheroadNoellistenedtillthesoundofthecarwaslostinthefoldsofthevalley。Shedidnotcry，butpassedherhandsoverherface，andbegantowalkhome，keepingtotheshadowofthetrees。Howmanyyearshadbeenaddedtoherageinthosesixhourssincethetelegramcame！Severaltimesinthatmileandahalfshesteppedintoapatchofbrightermoonlight，totakeoutandkissalittlephotograph，thenslipitbacknextherheart，heedlessthatsowarmaplacemustdestroyanyeffigy。Shefeltnotthefaintestcompunctionfortherecklessnessofherlove——itwasheronlycomfortagainstthecrushinglonelinessofthenight。Itkeptherup，madeherwalkonwithasortofpride，asifshehadgotthebestofFate。
　　Hewashersforevernow，inspiteofanythingthatcouldbedone。
　　Shedidnoteventhinkwhatshewouldsaywhenshegotin。Shecametotheavenue，andpassedupitstillinasortofdream。Herunclewasstandingbeforetheporch;shecouldhearhismutterings。Shemovedoutoftheshadowofthetrees，wentstraightuptohim，and，lookinginhisperturbedface，saidcalmly:
　　"Cyrilaskedmetosaygood—byetoyouall，Uncle。Goodnight！"
　　"But，Isay，Nollielookhereyou！"
　　Shehadpassedon。Shewentuptoherroom。There，bythedoor，herauntwasstanding，andwouldhavekissedher。Shedrewback:
　　"No，Auntie。Notto—night！"And，slippingby，shelockedherdoor。
　　BobandThirzaPierson，meetingintheirownroom，lookedateachotheraskance。Reliefattheirniece’ssafereturnwasconfusedbyotheremotions。BobPiersonexpressedhisfirst:
　　"Phew！Iwasbeginningtothinkweshouldwhavetodragtheriver。
　　Whatgirlsarecomingto！"
　　"It’sthewar，Bob。"
　　"Ididn’tlikeherface，oldgirl。Idon’tknowwhatitwas，butI
　　didn’tlikeherface。"
　　NeitherdidThirza，butshewouldnotadmitit，andencourageBobtotakeittoheart。Hetookthingssohardly，andwithsuchanoise！
　　Sheonlysaid:"Pooryoungthings！IsupposeitwillbearelieftoEdward！"
　　"IloveNollie！"saidBobPiersonsuddenly。"She’sanaffectionatecreature。D—nit，I’msorryaboutthis。It’snotsobadforyoungMorland;he’sgottheexcitement——thoughIshouldn’tliketobeleavingNollie，ifIwereyoungagain。ThankGod，neitherofourboysisengaged。ByGeorge！whenIthinkofthemoutthere，andmyselfhere，Ifeelasifthetopofmyheadwouldcomeoff。Andthosepoliticianchapsspoutingawayineverycountry——howtheycanhavethecheek！"
　　Thirzalookedathimanxiously。
　　"Andnodinner！"hesaidsuddenly。"Whatd’youthinkthey’vebeendoingwiththemselves？"
　　"Holdingeachother’shands，poordears！D’youknowwhattimeitis，Bob？Nearlyoneo’clock。"
　　"Well，allIcansayis，I’vehadawretchedevening。Gettobed，oldgirl。You’llbefitfornothing。"
　　Hewassoonasleep，butThirzalayawake，notexactlyworrying，forthatwasnothernature，butseeingNoel’sface，pale，languid，passionate，possessedbymemory。
　　VI
　　1
　　Noelreachedherfather’shousenextdaylateintheafternoon。
　　Therewasaletterinthehallforher。Shetoreitopen，andread:
　　"MYDARLINGLOVE，"Igotbackallright，andampostingthisatoncetotellyouweshallpassthroughLondon，andgofromCharingCross，Iexpectaboutnineo’clockto—night。Ishalllookoutforyou，there，incaseyouareupintime。EveryminuteIthinkofyou，andoflastnight。Oh！
　　Noel！
　　"Yourdevotedlover，"C。"
　　Shelookedatthewrist—watchwhich，likeeveryotherlittlepatriot，shepossessed。Pastseven！Ifshewaited，Gratianorherfatherwouldseizeonher。
　　"Takemythingsup，Dinah。I’vegotaheadachefromtravelling;I’mgoingtowalkitoff。PerhapsIshan’tbeintillpastnineorso。
　　Givemylovetothemall。"
　　"Oh，MissNoel，youcan’t，——"
　　ButNoelwasgone。ShewalkedtowardsCharingCross;and，tokilltime，wentintoarestaurantandhadthatsimplerepast，coffeeandabun，whichthoseinlovewouldalwaystakeifSocietydidnotforciblyfeedthemonotherthings。Foodwasridiculoustoher。Shesatthereinthemidstofaperfecthiveofcreatureseatinghideously。Theplacewasshapedlikeamodernprison，havingtiersofgalleryroundanopenspace，andintheairwasthesmellofviandsandtheclatterofplatesandthemusicofaband。Meninkhakieverywhere，andNoelglancedfromformtoformtoseeifbychanceonemightbethatwhichrepresented，forher，LifeandtheBritishArmy。Athalf—pasteightshewentoutandmadeherway:
　　throughthecrowd，stillmechanicallysearching"khaki"forwhatshewanted;anditwasperhapsfortunatethattherewasaboutherfaceandwalksomethingwhichtouchedpeople。Atthestationshewentuptoanoldporter，and，puttingashillingintohisastonishedhand，askedhimtofindoutforherwhenceMorland’sregimentwouldstart。
　　Hecamebackpresently，andsaid:
　　"Comewithme，miss。"
　　Noelwent。Hewasratherlame，hadgreywhiskers，andaghostlythinresemblancetoheruncleBob，whichperhapshadbeenthereasonwhyshehadchosenhim。64
　　"Brothergoin’out，miss？"
　　Noelnodded。
　　"Ah！It’sacroolwar。Ishan’tbesorrywhenit’sover。Goin’outandcomin’in，weseesomesadsights’ere。Wonderfulspiritthey’vegot，too。IneverlookattheclocknowbutwhatIthink:’Thereyougo，slow—coach！I’dliketosetyouontothedaytheboyscomeback！’WhenIputsabagin:’Anotherfor’ell"Ithinks。Andsoitis，miss，fromallIcan’ear。I’vegotasonouttheremeself。
　　It’s’erethey’llcomealong。Youstandquietandkeepalookout，andyou’llgetafewminuteswithhimwhenhe’sdonewith’ismen。I
　　wouldn’tmove，ifIwereyou;he’llcometoyou，allright——can’tmissyou，there。"And，lookingatherface，hethought:’Astonishin’
　　whataloto’brothersgo。Wotoh！Poorlittlemissy！Alittlelady，too。Wonderfulcollectedsheis。It’s’ard！’Andtryingtofindsomethingconsolingtosay，hemumbledout:"Youcouldn’tbeinabetterplaceforseen’imoff。Goodnight，miss;anythingelseI
　　candoforyou？"
　　"No，thankyou;you’reverykind。"
　　Helookedbackonceortwiceatherblue—cladfigurestandingverystill。Hehadleftheragainstalittleoasisofpiled—upemptymilk—cans，fardowntheplatformwhereafewciviliansinsimilarcasewerescattered。Thetrainwaywasemptyasyet。Inthegreyimmensityofthestationandtheturmoilofitsnoise，shefeltneitherlonelynorconsciousofotherswaiting;tooabsorbedintheonethoughtofseeinghimandtouchinghimagain。Theemptytrainbeganbackingin，stopped，andtelescopedwithaseriesoflittleclatteringbangs，backedonagain，andsubsidedtorest。Noelturnedhereyestowardsthestationarchways。Alreadyshefelttremulous，asthoughtheregimentweresendingbeforeitthevibrationofitsmarch。
　　Shehadnotasyetseenatroop—trainstart，andvagueimagesofbravearray，ofaflagfluttering，andthestirofdrums，besether。
　　Suddenlyshesawabrownswirlingmassdownthereattheveryedge，outofwhichathinbrowntrickleemergedtowardsher;nosoundofmusic，nowavedflag。Shehadalongingtorushdowntothebarrier，butrememberingthewordsoftheporter，stayedwhereshewas，withherhandstightlysqueezedtogether。Thetricklebecameastream，aflood，theheadofwhichbegantoreachher。Withaturbulenceofvoices，sunburntmen，burdeneduptothenose，passed，withriflesjuttingatallangles;shestrainedhereyes，staringintothatstreamasonemightintoawalkingwood，toisolateasingletree。
　　Herheadreeledwiththestrainofit，andtheefforttocatchhisvoiceamongthehubbubofallthosecheery，common，happy—go—luckysounds。Somewhosawhercluckedtheirtongues，somewentbysilent，othersseemedtoscanherasthoughshemightbewhattheywerelookingfor。Andeverthestreamandthehubbubmeltedintothetrain，andyetcamepouringon。Andstillshewaitedmotionless，withanawfulfear。Howcouldheeverfindher，orshehim？Thenshesawthatothersofthosewaitinghadfoundtheirmen。Andthelongingtorushupanddowntheplatformalmostovercameher;butstillshewaited。Andsuddenlyshesawhimwithtwootherofficerboys，closetothecarriages，comingslowlydowntowardsher。Shestoodwithhereyesfixedonhisface;theypassed，andshenearlycriedout。Thenheturned，brokeawayfromtheothertwo，andcamestraighttoher。Hehadseenherbeforeshehadseenhim。Hewasveryflushed，hadalittlefixedfrownbetweenhisblueeyesandasetjaw。Theystoodlookingateachother，theirhandshardgripped;
　　alltheemotionoflastnightwellingupwithinthem，sothattospeakwouldhavebeentobreakdown。Themilk—cansformedakindofshelter，andtheystoodsoclosetogetherthatnonecouldseetheirfaces。Noelwasthefirsttomasterherpowerofspeech;herwordscameout，daintyasever，throughtremblinglips:
　　"Writetomeasmuchaseveryoucan，Cyril。I’mgoingtobeanurseatonce。Andthefirstleaveyouget，Ishallcometoyou——don’tforget。"
　　"Forget！Movealittleback，darling;theycan’tseeushere。Kissme！"Shemovedback，thrustherfaceforwardsothatheneednotstoop，andputherlipsuptohis。Then，feelingthatshemightswoonandfalloveramongthecans，shewithdrewhermouth，leavingherforeheadagainsthislips。Hemurmured:
　　"Wasitallrightwhenyougotinlastnight？"
　　"Yes;Isaidgood—byeforyou。"
　　"Oh！Noel——I’vebeenafraid——Ioughtn’t——Ioughtn’t——"
　　"Yes，yes;nothingcantakeyoufrommenow。"
　　"Youhavegotpluck。Morethan！"
　　Alongwhistlesounded。Morlandgraspedherhandsconvulsively:
　　"Good—bye，mylittlewife！Don’tfret。Goodbye！Imustgo。Godblessyou，Noel！"
　　"Iloveyou。"
　　Theylookedateachother，justanothermoment，thenshetookherhandsfromhisandstoodbackintheshadowofthemilk—cans，rigid，followinghimwithhereyestillhewaslostinthetrain。