"I’mgoingtodriveyoutoEtaplesto—morrowinmycar。IknowthematronandsomeofthenursesintheAmericanhospitalthere。"
"Youdon’tmeanit,"saidBarry,"butareyousureit’snotaterribleboreforyou?IammuchafraidthatIhavebeenanuisancetoyou,andyouhavebeensovery,verygoodtome。"
"Abore!"shecried,andthebrowneyeswerewideopeninsurprise。
"Abore,andyouaCanadian!Why,youareoneofmybrothers’
friends,andbesidesyouseemtomeafriendofourfamily。MyuncleHoward,youknow,toldmeallaboutyou。Besides,"sheaddedinavoiceofgreatgentleness,"youremember,Ipromised。"
Barrycaughtherhand。
"IwishIcouldtellyouallIfeelaboutit,butsomehowIcan’tgetthewords。"
Sheallowedherhandtoremaininhisforamomentortwo;thenwithdrawingit,saidhurriedly,withaslightcolourshowinginhercheeks:
"IthinkIunderstand。"Thenchanginghertoneabruptly,anddroppingintothebusiness—likemannerofaV。A。D。,shesaid,"So,we’llgoto—morrow。Itwillheasplendidrun,ifthedayisfine。Wehadbetterstartbynineo’clocktogiveusalongday。"
Then,asifforgettingshewasaV。A。D。,sheaddedwithalittlecatchinhervoice,"Oh,Ishallloveit!"
Thedayprovedtobefine,——oneofthosegoldendaysofspringthathavegiventothelanditsnameof"sunnyFrance。"Itwasadayforlifeandyouthandhope。Adayonwhichwarseemedmorethaneveracrueloutrageuponhumanity。Butacrossthesunniestdays,acrosstheshiningfaceofFrance,andacrosstheirspirits,too,thewarcastitsblackshadow。Theyboth,however,seemedtohaveresolvedthatforthatdayatleasttheywouldturntheireyesfromthatshadowandletthemrestonlywherethesunwasshining。
TheV。A。D。withhermindintentuponherwheelcouldonlycontribute,ashershareintheconversation,descriptiveandsomewhatdesultorycommentsuponpointsofinterestalongtheway。
Barry,becauseitharmonisedwithhismood,talkedabouthisfatherandalltheiryearstogetherbuteverwithoutobtrusionofhisgrief。Theexperiencesofthepastthreedays,whichtheyhadshared,seemedtohaveestablishedbetweenthemasenseofmutualconfidenceandcomradeshipsuchasinordinarycircumstanceswouldhavedemandedyearsofcompanionshiptoeffect。Thissenseofsympathyandofperfectunderstandingonthepartofthegirlathisside,togetherwiththefascinatingcharmofherbeauty,andhersweetness,wastoBarry’sstrickenheartlikeahealingbalmtoanachingwound。
TheywereinsightofEtaplesbeforeBarryimaginedtheycouldhavemademorethanhalfthejourney。
"Etaples,sosoon!Itcannotbe!"
"Butitis,"saidthegirl,throwingabrightsmileathim,"andthat’sthehospital,onthehillyonder,wheretheflagisflying。"
"Why,"exclaimedBarry,"that’stheAmericanflag!What’stheAmericanflagdoingthere?"
"It’sflyingoveranAmericanhospital,"saidtheV。A。D。"I
thinkit’ssuchabeautifulflag。Inthebreeze,itseemstomethemostbeautifulofalltheflags。Thestripesseemtoflowoutfromthestars。Ofcourse,"sheaddedhurriedly,"theUnionJackwithallitshistoricmeaninganditsmingledcrosses,issplendidlygloriousandismoredecorative,butIalwaysthink,whenIseethosefloatingstripes,thattheAmericanshavethemostbeautifulflag。"
"Iadmit,"saidBarry,"it’sabeautifulflag,but——well,I’maBritisher,Isuppose,andseeitwithBritisheyes。ButwhyisthatflagflyinghereinFrance?Howdotheauthoritiesallowthat?It’saneutralflag——awfullyneutral,too。"
"IunderstandtheyhavepermissionfromtheFrenchauthoritiestoflythatflagovereveryAmericaninstitutioninFrance。Andyouknow,"continuedthegirlwithrisingenthusiasm,"iftheyareneutral,theyhaveimmenselyhelpedus,too,haven’tthey?——inmunitionsandthatsortofthing。"
"That’strueenough,"agreedBarry,"andit’sallthemorewonderfulwhenyouthinkofthemillionsofGermansthattheyhaveintheircountry。Iheardaveryfinething,notlongago,fromafriendofmine。APittsburghoilmanabouttocloseadeal,withatraveller,withmillionsinit,suddenlydiscoveredthathisoilwastogototheGermans。Atoncethedealwasoff,and,thoughthepricewasconsiderablyraised,therewas,inhisownwords,’Nothing’doing!’’Nostuffofmine,’hesaid,’shallgotohelpanenemyoftheAnglo—Saxonrace。’That’sthewayIbelievetherealAmericansfeel。"
"Thisisawonderfulhospital,"saidtheV。A。D。"WheneverIseeit,IsomehowfeelmyheartgrowwarmtotheAmericanpeopleforthesplendidwayinwhichtheyhavehelpedpoorFrance,for,youknow,inthefirstmonthsofthewar,theFrenchhospitalswereperfectlyghastly。"
"Iknow,Iknow!"criedBarry。"AndtheCanadians,too,havechippedinabit。WehaveaCanadianhospitalinParis,fortheFrench,andothersarebeingorganised。"
Theyturnedinatthegateandfoundthemselvesinabeautifulquadrangle,setoutwithgrassplotsandflowersandcementwalks。
Thebuildingitself,anancientroyalpalace,hadbeenenlargedbymeansofsun—parloursandporcheswhichgaveitanairofwonderfulcheerinessandbrightness。
"Iwillruninandseeifanyofmyfriendsareabout,"saidtheV。A。D。"Waithereforme。Unlessyoucaretocomein,"sheadded。
"No,Iwillwaithere。Idon’tjustfeellikemeetingstrangersbut,ifthereareCanadiansinthehospital,Ishouldliketoseethem。Andperhapsyoucandiscoverwheremychiefcanbefound,ifyoudon’tmind。"
Hardlyhadshepassedwithinthedoor,whenanothercarcameswiftlytothegateanddrewupalittleinfrontofBarry’s。A
girlleapedfromthewheelandwithaspringinherstep,whichspokeofaboundingvitality,ranupthesteps。
Whatthoughtcaughtheritisdifficulttosay,butonthetopmoststepshespunaroundandlookedstraightintoBarry’seyes。
"Paula!"heshouted,andwasoutofthecarandatthefootofthesteps,withhandoutstretched,when,withasingletouchofherfoottothesteps,shewasathim,withbothhandsreachingforhis。
"Barry,oh,Barry!Itcan’tbeyou!"shepanted。Herfacewentred,thenwhite,thenredagain。"Oh,it’sbetterthanadrinktoseeyou。Whence,how,why,whither?Oh,nevermindanswering,"
shewenton。"It’senoughtoseeyou。"
AstepbehindherdivertedherattentionfromBarry。Barryranupthesteps,andtakingtheV。A。D。bythehand,ledherdown。
"Iwantyoutomeetafriendofmine,"hesaidandintroducedPaula。
Paula’seyes,keenasaknife—point,wereupontheV。A。D。’sface。
"I’mgladtoknowyou,"shesaidfrankly,offeringherhand。
"Principally,"sheadded,withalittlelaugh,"becauseyouknowBarry。"
TheV。A。D。bowedwiththeslightreservecharacteristicofher,andtookPaula’shand。
"I,too,ampleased,"shesaid,"tomeetafriendofCaptainDunbar。"Thensheaddedwithincreasedcordiality,"andI’mgladtomeetanAmericaninFrance。Iknowyourmatron,andsomeofthenurses。"
"Good!"criedPaula。"Now,then,you’llbothofyoutakelunchwithme。"
TheV。A。D。demurred。
"Ofcourseyouwill,"criedPaula。"Oh,Barry,I’mjustreadytodiefromseeingyouagain。Comealong!"shecried,impulsively,catchingtheV。A。D。bythearm。"Comealongandparkyourbuzzwagonherebesidemine。"
Sherantohercar,spranginandwhirleditintoplacebeforetheV。A。D。hadherswellstarted。
Barrywaitedwheretheyhadlefthim。ThesuddenappearingofPaulahadstirredwithinhimdepthsoffeelingthatalmostoverpoweredhim。HismindwasfarawayinAthabasca,oncemorehewasseeingthedarkpool,theswiftlyflowingwater,thecampfire,andhisfatherbendingoverit。Hisheartwasquiveringasifahandhadbeenrudelythrustintoarawwoundinit。
TheV。A。D。heldPaulaafewmomentsbesidehercar,speakingquicklyandearnestly。WhentheyrejoinedBarry,Paula’seyesweresoftwithunshedtears,andhervoicewasverygentle。
"Iknow,Barry,"shesaid。"MissVincentjusttoldme。Oh,whatterriblechangesthiswarbringstousall。Weseesomanysadthingshereeveryday。It’sterriblysadforyou,Barry。"
"Yes,itissad,Paula,anditisgoingtobelonely。YouhavebroughtbacktomethatbrightdayontheAthabasca。But,"headdedearnestly,"afterall,inthiswareverythingpersonalissosmall。Besides,hewassosplendid,youknow,andtheboystoldmeheplayedthegameupthererighttotheend。SoI’mnotgoingtoshamehim;atleast,I’mtryingnotto。"
ButbrightaswasBarry’ssmile,Paulacaughtthequiveringofhislips,andturnedquicklyawayfromhim。
Afteramomentortwoofsilence,shecried,withheroldimpulsiveness,"Nowyouwillbothlunchwithme。I’mthequartermasterofthisoutfit,andhaveasmallparlourofmyown。
Weshallhavealovely,cosytime,justMissVincent,youandmyselftogether。"
"But,"repliedtheV。A。D。,"Ihavejustarrangedwiththematrontolunchwithher。"
"Oh,rubbish!I’llcutthatout,allright。What’stheuseofbeingquartermasterifIcan’tarrangealunchpartytosuitmyself?"
StilltheV。A。D。demurred。Withher,breakinganengagementforlunchwasaseriousaffair——wasindeedtakingalibertywhichnoEnglishgirlwouldthinkofdoing。
"Oh,that’snonsense!"criedPaula。"I’llmakeitperfectlyallright。Lookhere,"shecried,wheelingupontheV。A。D。,"youBritishersaresoterriblycorrect。I’llshowyoualittleshirtsleevediplomacy。Besides,ifyoudon’tcomeinonthisyoucanhavethematron,andI’lltakeBarry,"shesaidwithathreateningsmile。"Watchme!"sheadded,assheranaway。
"Whatasplendidgirl!"saidtheV。A。D。"AndthatcaptivatingAmericanwayshehas。Perfectlyripping,Icallit。Idohopeweshallbefriends。"
InashorttimePaulacamerushingbackintotheroom,announcingtriumphantlythatarrangementshadbeenmadeaccordingtoherprogramme,withthematroninheartyaccord。
"Andshesendsherlove,"shesaidtotheV。A。D。"Shewouldnothaveyouonanyaccountmissthisparty。Sheisdesperatelygrievedthatshecannotacceptmyinvitationtojoinus。Ofcourse,Iknewtheolddearcouldn’t。Andwearetomeetherafterwards。"
Thelittlelunchpartywas,onthewhole,asuccess。TotheconversationPaulacontributedthelargerpart,Barrydoinghisbesttosecondher。Butinspiteofhisheroicefforts,hismindwouldescapehim,farawaytothesunnyAthabascaplains,andthegleamingriverandthesmoothslippingcanoe,andthenwithswifttransitiontothelittleBritishplotinthecemeteryatBoulogne。
Atsuchtimes,Paula,readinghisface,wouldmomentarilyfalterinhergaytalk,onlytobeginagainwithrenewedvivacity。Ononetopic,however,shehadnodifficultyinholdingBarry’sattention。
ItwaswhenshetoldoftheorganisinganddespatchingoftheAmericanRedCrossunitstoFrance,andmoreespeciallyofherownunit,organisedandfinancedbyherfather。
"Iamawfullysorryheisnothereto—day。Hewouldhavelovedtohaveseenyouagain,Barry。"
"AndItohaveseenhim,"saidBarry。"Heisabigman,anditisfineofhimtodothisthing。It’sjustlikethebig,generous—
heartedAmericans——theyaresounstintedintheirsympathies,andtheybackthemupforalltheyareworth。"
"Andhowefficienttheyare,"addedtheV。A。D。inwarmadmiration。
"Thishospital,youknow,"turningtoBarry,"isperfectlywonderful。
Itsequipment!Itsappliances!IhaveoftenheardourO。C。speakinthemostrapturousenvyoftheEtaplesAmericanRedCrossunit。"
"Andwhyshouldnotitbe?"criedPaula。"It’saquestionofmoneyafterall。Wearenotatwar。WeputinafewlittlehospitalshereinFrance。Wehavemoremoneythrownatusthanwecanuse。
Andyoutalkaboutefficiency,"sheadded,turningtotheV。A。D。
"GoodLord!MypaterhasjustcomebackfromLondon,wherehewasrubberingaroundwithlordsanddukesandthingsinadisgustinglyun—AmericanwayItoldhim,andnowheravesfrommorninguntilnightovertheefficiencyoftheBritish。He’sbeenallowedtoseesomeoftheirmunitionworks,youknow。IsimplyhadtodeclaimtheAmericanDeclarationofIndependencetohimthreetimesadaytorevivehisdroopingDemocraticsentiments,andIhadtosewOldGloryontohispajamassothathemightdreamproperAmericandreams。No,totellyouthetruth,"herePaula’svoicetookadeepernote,"everylastAmericanofushereinFranceishotwithhumiliationandrageathiscountry’sattitude,——monkeyingwiththosebaby—killing,woman—rapingdevils。"
Assheended,hervoiceshookwithpassion,hercheekswerepale,andinhereyesshonetwobrighttears。ImpulsivelytheV。A。D。
rosefromherplace,ranaroundtoPaula,andputtingherarmaroundherneck,said:
"Oh,Idothankyou,andIloveyouforyourwords,"whileBarrystoodatattention,asifinthepresenceofhissuperiorofficer。
"Isaluteyou,"hesaidwithgraveearnestness。"Youworthilyrepresentyourbraveandgenerouspeople。"
"Oh,darnitall!"criedPaula,brushingawayhertears。"I’mafool,butyoudon’tknowhowweAmericansfeel——realAmericans,I
mean,nottheyellowhyphenatedbreed。"
Afterlunch,Barrywenttolookuphischief,theassistantdirectorofchaplainservice,whilePaulatookchargeoftheV。A。D。,saying:
"Runaway,Barry,andseeyourBrassHat。I’llshowMissVincenthowaquartermaster’sdepartmentofarealhospitalshouldberun。"
HishourwiththeA。D。C。S。wasamoststimulatingexperienceforBarry。Hefoundhimselfatonceintouchwithnotanofficialthinkingintermsofmilitaryregulationsandetiquette,butasoldierandaman。FortheA。D。C。S。wasboth。ThroughalltheterribledaysatYpres,wheretheCanadians,inthatwelterofgasandfireandblood,hadwontheirimperishablefameasfightingmen,hehadbeenwiththem,sharingtheirdangersandministeringtotheirwantswithhisbrotherofficersofthefightingline。
Physicallyanunimpressivefigure,smallandslight,yetheseemedchargedwithconcentratedenergywaitingrelease。
AsBarrylistenedtohiswordscomingforthinsnappy,jerkingphrases,hewasfascinatedbythebulldogjawandpiercingeyesofthelittleman。Inbrief,comprehensive,vigoroussentences,hesetforthhisidealsforthechaplainserviceintheCanadianarmy。
"Threethings,"hesaid,"Itellmymen,shouldmarktheCanadianchaplainservice。Thefirst,Unity——unityamongthemselves,unitywiththeotherdepartmentsofthearmy。Twowordsdescribeourchaplains——ChristianandCanadians。IamanAnglicanmyself,butonthissideofthechanneltherearenoAnglican,noPresbyterian,noMethodistchaplains,onlyChristianandCanadianchaplains。I
havehadtofightforthiswithhighofficialsbothinthearmyandinthechurch。Ihavewonout,andwhileI’mherethiswillbemaintained。ThesecondthingisSpirituality。TheChaplainmustbeaChristianman,livingintouchwiththeDivine——alivetowardGod。Third,Humanity。Hemustbe’touchedwiththefeelingofourinfirmity,’sharingtheexperiencesofthemen,gettingtoknowtheirfeelings,theirfears,theirloneliness,theirmisery,theiranxieties,andGodknowstheyhavetheiranxietiesforthemselvesandfortheirfolksathome。"
AsBarrylistened,heheardagainhisfather’svoice。"Theyneedyou。Theyareafraid。Theyarelonely。TheyneedGod。"
"Andremember,"saidtheA。D。C。S。,asherosetoclosetheinterview,"thatIamatyourback。Ifyouhaveanydifficulty,letmeknow。Ifyouarewrong,Ipromisetotellyou。Ifyouareright,I’llbackyouup。Now,letusgoandlookoverthehospital。Therearesomeofourfellowsthere。Ifyoufeellikesayinganythingintheconvalescentward,allright,butdon’tletitworryyou。"
Astheywentthroughthewards,Barrycouldnotbutnoticehowthefacesofthepatientsbrightenedashischiefapproached,andhowtheireyesfollowedhimafterhehadpassed。
Theymovedslowlythroughthoselongcorridors,sanctifiedbythesufferingsandgriefsandhiddentearsofhomesickandhomelongingmen,tomanyofwhomitseemedthatthebestoflifewaspast。
Whentheyhadgonethelengthoftheconvalescentward,theA。D。C。S。turnedand,aftergettingpermissionofthemedicalsuperintendent,brieflyintroducedBarrytothewoundedmen,as"amanfromthewildandwoollyCanadianwest,onhiswayuptheline,andthereforecompetenttotellusaboutthewar,andespeciallywhenitwillend。"
Besidethemstoodapiano,andonitlayaviolininitsopencase。
Barrytookuptheviolin,fingereditsstringsinanabsent—mindedway,andsaid:
"Idon’tknowanythingaboutthewar,men,butIdoknowwhenitwillend,andthatiswhenwelickthoseHunsgoodandplenty,asourAmericanfriendswouldsay,"bowingtothedoctorathisside。
"I’manawfullypoorspeaker,boys,"hecontinuedinaconfidentialtone,"butIcanmakethisthingtalkabit。"
Withoutfurtherprefacehebegantoplay。Hehadnotheldaviolininhishandssincehehadplayedwithhisfatherathome。
UnconsciouslyhisfingerswanderedintothefamiliarnotesofHandel’sLargo。Hefoundtheviolintopossessanexceptionallyrichandpurequalityoftone。
Ashebegantoplay,adooropenedbehindthem,admittingPaula,theV。A。D。andtwoorthreeyoungdoctors,whotooktheirplacesinthecorneraboutthepiano。
"Doyouknowthis?"whisperedPaulatotheV。A。D。,asshecaughtthestrainsoftheLargo。
"Yes。Iusedtoplayitwithmybrother。"
"Gotoit,then,"saidPaula。
ButtheV。A。D。hesitated。
"Goon!Lookattheboys,andlookathisface。"
TheV。A。D。glancedabouttheroomatthelinesofpaleandpatientfaces,which,inspiteofthemarksofpain,weresopatheticallyandresolutelybright。ThensheglancedatBarry’sface。Hehadforgottenallabouthissurroundings,andhisfacewasilluminedwiththelightfromthosehiddenlampsthatburndeepinthesoulofgenius,alightenrichedandwarmedbytheglowofaheartinsympathywithitskind。
InobediencetoPaula’scommandandalittlepushuponhershoulder,theV。A。D。satdownatthepianoandtouchedthenotessoftly,feelingforthekey,thenfellinwiththeviolin。
Atthefirstnote,Barryturnedsharplyaboutandasshefoundherkeyandbegantofollow,hesteppedbacktoherside。Immediately,fromhisinstrument,thereseemedtoflowaricher,fullerstreamofmelody。FromthesolemnandstatelyharmoniesoftheLargo,hepassedtothoseoldfamiliarairs,thatneverdieandneverlosetheirpoweroverthehumanheart——"AnnieLaurie"and"BenBolt,"
andthencetoarollickingFrenchchanson,whichratherbowledoverhisaccompanist,butonlyforthefirsttimethough,forshehadtheraregiftofimprovisation,andsympatheticaccompaniment。
Thenwithafullarmbowing,hesweptthemintothefiercelymajesticstrainsofthe"Marseillaise,"bringingtheblue—coatedorderliesaboutthedoor,andsuchpatientsascouldstand,andthegroupaboutthepianotorigidattention。Fromthe"Marseillaise"
itwaseasytopassintothenoblesimplicityofhisownnationalsong,"Oh,Canada!"whereagainhisaccompanistwasquiteabletofollow,andthencetotheEmpire’sNationalAnthem,whichhadforahundredyearsormoreliftedtotheirfeetBritishsoldiersandsailorstheworldover。
Ashedrewhisbowoverthelastchord,Paulasteppedtohisside,andwhisperedinhisear:
"Where’sAmericainthisthing?"
Withoutaninstant’sbreakinthemusic,hedroppedintoawhimsicalandreallyhumorousrenderingof"YankeeDoodle。"
QuicklytheV。A。D。movedfromthestool,caughtPaulaandthrustherintothevacantplace。Thentogethertheviolinandpianorattledintoafantasticandbrilliantvariationofthatfamousandtriflingair。Again,withasuddenchangeofmood,Barryswungintothatoldsongofthehomesickplantationnegro,"TheSuwaneeRiver"——asimpleenoughair,butunderthemanipulationsofamasterlendingitselftoaninterpretationofthedeepandtenderemotionswhichinthatroomandinthatcompanyofFrench,British,Canadian,Americanfolkwerethrobbinginacommonlongingfortheoldhomeandthe"oldfolksathome。"Beforehehadplayedtheaironcethrough,thegrey—hairedAmericandoctorwasopenlywipinghiseyes,andhiscolleagueslookingawayfromeachother,ashamedofthetearsthatdidthemonlyhonour。
Paula’sflushedfaceandflashingeyeswereeloquentofherdeepemotion,whileathersidetheV。A。D。stoodquiet,controlled,butwithaglowoftenderfeelingshininginherfaceandinhersoftbrowneyes。
NotlongdidBarrylingeramidthosedeepsofemotion,butstraighteninghisfiguretoitsfullheight,andthrowinguphishead,he,infulloctaves,playedtheopeningbarsofwhathascometobeknownasAmerica’snationalanthem,"TheStarSpangledBanner。"
InstantlytheA。D。C。S。,theorderliesaboutthedoor,thewoundedFrench,BritishandCanadiansoldiersthatcouldstand,sprangtoattentionandsoremainedwhiletheviolin,withitspianoaccompaniment,throbbedforththesonorouschords。Withthelastbar,Barrydroppedhisbowtohisside,butheldtheviolinstillathischin。Notoneofthatcompanymoved,butstoodwiththeireyesfasteneduponhisface。Afteramoment’spause,hequietlyliftedhisbowagain,andonthesilence,stillthrobbingtothestrainsofthattriumphantmartialair,therestoleoutpure,sweet,asfromsomeetherealsource,thelongdrawn,tremblingnotesofthatoldsacredmelody,which,soundingovermenandwomenintheirhoursofterrorandanguishanddespair,hasliftedthemtopeaceandcomfortandhope——"Nearer,MyGod,toThee。"
Thetensionwhichhadheldthecompanywasrelaxed,thewoundedmensanktotheirseats,theA。D。C。S。removedhishat,which,accordingtomilitaryregulations,hehadworntothismoment。
Onallsides,headsdroppedinanattitudeofreverence,andsocontinueduntilBarryhaddrawnthelastdeep,vibratingnotetoaclose。
Whenhehadlaidhisviolininitscase,theoldAmericandoctorcameforward,withhishandextended。
"Letme,asanAmericanandaChristian,thankyou,sir,"hesaid。
OnebyonethegroupofAmericanscametoshakehandswithhim,thelastbeingPaula,whoheldhishandamomentandsaidsoftly:
"Thankyou,Barry。Ibelieveallthatstuffnow。Ihavelearnedithere。"
ThelastofalltocomewastheV。A。D。Shyly,withasmileradiantthroughhertears,sheofferedherhand,saying:"Thankyou!Hewouldhavelikedthat,Iknow。"
"CaptainDunbar,where’syourownviolin?"TheabrupttoneoftheA。D。C。S。startledthemall。