Everycarriagewindowwasfullofthosebrownfiguresandred—brownfaces，handswerewavingvaguely，voicescallingvaguely，hereandthereonecheered;someoneleaningfaroutstartedtosing:\"Ifauldacquaintance——\"ButNoelstoodquitestillintheshadowofthemilk—cans，herlipsdrawnin，herhandshardclenchedinfrontofher;andyoungMorlandathiswindowgazedbackather。
2
HowshecametobesittinginTrafalgarSquareshedidnotknow。
Tearshadformedamistbetweenherandallthatseething，summer—
eveningcrowd。Hereyesmechanicallyfollowedthewanderingsearch—
lights，thosenewmilkyways，quarteringtheheavensandleadingnowhere。Allwaswonderfullybeautiful，theskyadeepdarkblue，themoonlightwhiteningthespireofSt。Martin’s，andeverywhereendowingthegreatblacked—outbuildingswithdream—life。Eventhelionshadcometolife，andstaredoutoverthismoonlitdesertoflittlehumanfigurestoosmalltobeworththestretchingoutofapaw。Shesatthere，achingdreadfully，asifthelongingofeverybereavedheartinallthetownhadsettledinher。Shefeltittonightathousandtimesworse;forlastnightshehadbeendruggedonthenewsensationoflovetriumphantlyfulfilled。Nowshefeltasiflifehadplacedherinthecornerofahugesilentroom，blownouttheflameofjoy，andlockedthedoor。Alittledrysobcamefromher。Thehay—fieldsandCyril，withshirtunbuttonedattheneck，pitchinghayandgazingatherwhileshedabbledherforkinthethinleavings。Thebrightriver，andtheirboatgroundedontheshallows，andtheswallowsflittingoverthem。Andthatlongdance，withthefeelofhishandbetweenhershoulder—blades！Memoriessosweetandsharpthatshealmostcriedout。ShesawagaintheirdarkgrassycourtyardintheAbbey，andthewhiteowlflyingoverthem。Thewhiteowl！Flyingthereagainto—night，withnoloversonthegrassbelow！ShecouldonlypictureCyrilnowasabrownatominthatswirlingbrownfloodofmen，flowingtoahugebrownsea。Thosecruelminutesontheplatform，whenshehadsearchedandsearchedthewalkingwoodforher，onetree，seemedtohaveburnedthemselvesintohereyes。Cyrilwaslost，shecouldnotsinglehimout，allblurredamongthosethousandothershapes。Andsuddenlyshethought:’AndI
——I’mlosttohim;he’sneverseenmeathome，neverseenmeinLondon;hewon’tbeabletoimagineme。It’sallinthepast，onlythepast——forbothofus。Isthereanybodysounhappy？’Andthetown’svoices—wheels，andpassingfeet，whistles，talk，laughter—
seemedtoanswercallously:’Notone。’Shelookedatherwrist—
watch;likehis，ithadluminoushands:’Half—pastten’wasgreenishlyimprintedthere。Shegotupindismay。Theywouldthinkshewaslost，orrunover，orsomethingsilly！Shecouldnotfindanemptytaxi，andbegantowalk，uncertainofherwayatnight。Atlastshestoppedapoliceman，andsaid:
\"WhichisthewaytowardsBloomsbury，please？Ican’tfindataxi。\"
Themanlookedather，andtooktimetothinkitover;thenhesaid:
\"They’relinin’upforthetheatres，\"andlookedatheragain。
Somethingseemedtomoveinhismechanism:
\"I’mgoin’thatway，miss。Ifyoulike，youcanstepalongwithme。\"
Noelsteppedalong。
\"Thestreetsaren’twhattheyoughttobe，\"thepolicemansaid。
\"Whatwiththedarkness，andthewarturningthegirlsheads——you’dbesurprisedthenumberofthemthatcomesout。It’sthesoldiers，ofcourse。\"
Noelfelthercheeksburning。
\"Idaresayyouwouldn’thavenoticedit，\"thepolicemanwenton:\"butthiswar’safunnything。ThestreetsaregayerandmorecrowdedatnightthanI’veeverseenthem;it’safairpicnicallthetime。
Whatwe’regoin’tosettledowntowhenpeacecomes，Idon’tknow。I
supposeyoufinditquietenoughupyourway，miss？\"
\"Yes，\"saidNoel;\"quitequiet。\"
\"NosoldiersupinBloomsbury。YougotanyoneintheArmy，miss？\"
Noelnodded。
\"Ah！It’sanxioustimesforladies。WhatwiththeZeps，andtheirbrothersandallinFrance，it’s’arassin’。I’velostabrothermeself，andI’vegotaboyoutthereintheGardenofEden;hismothercarriesondreadfulabouthim。Whatweshallthinkofitwhenit’sallover，Ican’ttell。TheseHunsareawickedtoughlot！\"
Noellookedathim;atallman，regularandorderly，withoneofthoseperfectlydecentfacessooftenseenintheLondonpolice。
\"I’msorryyou’velostsomeone，\"shesaid。\"Ihaven’tlostanyoneverynear，yet。\"
\"Well，let’s’opeyouwon’t，miss。Thesetimesmakeyoufeelforothers，an’that’ssomething。I’venoticedagreatchangeinfolksyou’dneverthinkwouldfeelforanyone。AndyetI’veseensomewickedthingstoo;wedo，inthepolice。SomeoftheseEnglishwivesofaliens，and’armlesslittleGermanbakers，an’Austrians，andwhat—not:theygetacrooltime。It’stheirmisfortune，nottheirfault，that’swhatIthink;andthewaytheygetserved——well，itmakesyouashamedo’bein’Englishsometimes——itdoesstraight:Andthewomenaretheworst。Isaidtomywifeonlylastnight，Isaid:
’TheycallthemselvesChristians，’Isaid，’butforallthecharitythat’sin’emtheymightaswellbeHuns。’Shecouldn’tseeit—notshe！’Well，whydotheydropbombs？’shesays。’What！’Isaid，’thoseEnglishwivesandbakersdropbombs？Don’tbesilly，’Isaid。
’They’reasinnocentaswe。’It’stheinnocentthatgetspunishedfortheguilty。’Butthey’reallspies，’shesays。’Oh！’Isaid，’oldlady！Nowreally！Atyourtimeoflife！’Butthereitis;youcan’tgetawomantoseereason。It’sreadin’thepapers。Ioftenthinktheymustbewrittenbywomen——beggin’yourpardon，miss——butreely，the’ystericsandthe’atred——they’reafairknockout。D’youfindmuchhatredinyourhousehold，miss？\"
Noelshookherhead。\"No;myfather’saclergyman，yousee。\"
\"Ah！\"saidthepoliceman。Andintheglancehebestowedonhercouldbeseenanaddedrespect。
\"Ofcourse，\"hewenton，\"you’reboundtohaveasenseofjusticeagainsttheseHuns;someoftheirwaysofgoin’onhavebeenabovethelimit。ButwhatIalwaysthinkis——ofcourseIdon’tsaythesethings——nousetomakeyourselfunpopular——buttomeselfIoftenthink:Take’emmanforman，andyou’dfind’emmuchthesameasweare，Idaresay。It’stheviciouswaythey’rebroughtup，ofactin’
inthemass，that’smade’emsuchacroollot。Iseeagoodbitofcrowdsinmyprofession，andI’veaverylowopinionofthem。Crowdsarethemostblunderin’blightedthingsthateverwas。They’relikeanangrywomanwithabandageoverhereyes，an’youcan’thaveanythingmoredangerousthanthat。TheseGermans，itseems，arealwaysinacrowd。Theygetastateo’mindreadouttothembyBillKaserandallthatbloody—mindedlot，an’theyneverstoptothinkforthemselves。\"
\"Isupposethey’dbeshotiftheydid，\"saidNoel。
\"Well，thereisthat，\"saidthepolicemanreflectively。\"They’vebroughtdisciplinetoan’ighpitch，nodoubt。An’ifyouaskme，\"——
heloweredhisvoicetillitwasalmostlostinhischin—strap，\"we’llberunnin’’emagoodsecond’ere，beforelong。Thethingswe’avetoprotectnowaregettin’beyondajoke。There’stheCityagainstlights，there’sthestreetsagainstdarkness，there’sthealiens，there’sthealiens’shops，there’stheBelgians，there’stheBritishwives，there’sthesoldiersagainstthewomen，there’sthewomenagainstthesoldiers，there’sthePeaceParty，there’s’orsesagainstcroolty，there’saCabinetMinistereverynowan’then;andnowwe’vegottheseConchies。And，mindyou，theyhaven’traisedourpay;nowarwagesinthepolice。SofarasIcansee，there’sonlyonegoodresultofthewar——theburglariesareoff。Butthereagain，youwaitabitandseeifwedon’thaveaprizecropof’m，ormyname’snot’Arris。\"
\"Youmusthaveanawfullyexcitinglife！\"saidNoel。
Thepolicemanlookeddownathersideways，withoutloweringhisface，asonlyapolicemancan，andsaidindulgently:
\"We’reusedtoit，yousee;there’snoexcitementinwhatyou’reusedto。Theyfindthatinthetrenches，I’mtold。Takeourseamen——
there’slotsof’embeenblownupoverandoveragain，andtheretheygoandsignonagainnextday。That’swheretheGermansmaketheirmistake！Englandinwar—time！Ithinkalot，youknow，onmygo;
youcan’t’elpit——themindwillwork——an’themoreIthink，themoreIseethefightin’spiritinthepeople。Wedon’tmakeafussaboutitlikeBillKaser。Butyouwatchalittleshopman，oneo’thosefellowswho’shadhishousebombed;youwatchthewayhelooksatthemess——sortofdisgusted。Youwatchhisface，andyouseehe’sgothisteethintoit。YouwatchoneofourTommieson’iscrutches，withthesweatpourin’offhisforeheadan’’iseyesallstrainy，stumpin’along——thatgivesyouanidea！IpitythesePeacefellows，reelyIpitythem;theydon’tknowwhatthey’reupagainst。Iexpectthere’stimeswhenyouwishyouwasaman，don’tyou，miss？I’msurethere’stimeswhenIfeelI’dliketogointhetrenches。That’stheworsto’myjob;youcan’tbeahumanbein’——notinthefullsenseoftheword。Youmustn’tletyourpassionsrise，youmustn’tdrink，youmustn’ttalk;it’sanarrowwalko’life。Well，hereyouare，miss;
yourSquare’sthenextturnin’totheright。Goodnightandthankyouforyourconversation。\"
Noelheldoutherhand。\"Goodnight！\"shesaid。
Thepolicemantookherhandwithaqueer，flatteredembarrassment。
\"Goodnight，miss，\"hesaidagain。\"Iseeyou’vegotatrouble;andI’msureIhopeit’llturnoutforthebest。\"
Noelgavehishugehandasqueeze;hereyeshadfilledwithtears，andsheturnedquicklyuptowardstheSquare，whereadarkfigurewascomingtowardsher，inwhomsherecognisedherfather。Hisfacewaswornandharassed;hewalkedirresolutely，likeamanwhohaslostsomething。
\"Nollie！\"hesaid。\"ThankGod！\"Inhisvoicewasaninfiniterelief。\"Mychild，wherehaveyoubeen？\"
\"It’sallright，Daddy。Cyrilhasjustgonetothefront。I’vebeenseeinghimofffromCharingCross。\"
Piersonslippedhisarmroundher。Theyenteredthehousewithoutspeaking……
3
Bytherailofhistransport，asfar——abouttwofeet——ashecouldgetfromanyone，CyrilMorlandstoodwatchingCalais，adreamcity，brightenoutoftheheatandgrowsolid。Hecouldhearthegunsalready，thevoiceofhisnewlife—talkinginthedistance。Itcamewithitsstrangeexcitementintoabeingheldbysoftandmarvellousmemories，byonelongvisionofNoelandthemoonlitgrass，underthedarkAbbeywall。Thismomentofpassagefromwondertowonderwasquitetoomuchforaboyunusedtointrospection，andhestoodstaringstupidlyatCalais，whilethethunderofhisnewlifecamerollinginonthatpassionatemoonlitdream。
VII
AftertheemotionsofthoselastthreedaysPiersonwokewiththefeelingashipmusthavewhenitmakeslandfall。Suchreliefsarenatural，andasaruledelusive;foreventsareasmuchtheparentsofthefutureastheywerethechildrenofthepast。Tobeathomewithbothhisgirls，andresting——forhisholidaywouldnotbeoverfortendays——waslikeoldtimes。NowGeorgewasgoingonsowellGratianwouldbeherselfagain;nowCyrilMorlandwasgoneNoelwouldlosethatsuddenyouthfullovefever。PerhapsintwoorthreedaysifGeorgecontinuedtoprogress，onemightgooffwithNoelsomewhereforone’slastweek。Inthemeantimetheoldhouse，whereinwasgatheredsomuchremembranceofhappinessandpain，wasjustasrestfulasanywhereelse，andthecompanionshipofhisgirlswouldbeassweetasonanyoftheirpastramblingholidaysinWalesorIreland。Andthatfirstmorningofperfectidleness——fornooneknewhewasbackinLondon——pottering，andplayingthepianointhehomelydrawing—roomwherenothingtospeakofwaschangedsincehiswife’sday，wasverypleasant。Hehadnotyetseenthegirls，forNoeldidnotcomedowntobreakfast，andGratianwaswithGeorge。
Discoverythattherewasstilla，barrierbetweenhimandthemcamebutslowlyinthenexttwodays。Hewouldnotacknowledgeit，yetitwasthere，intheirvoices，intheirmovements——ratheranabsenceofsomethingoldthanthepresenceofsomethingnew。Itwasasifeachhadsaidtohim:\"Weloveyou，butyouarenotinoursecrets——andyoumustnotbe，foryouwouldtrytodestroythem。\"Theyshowednofearofhim，butseemedtobepushinghimunconsciouslyaway，lestheshouldrestrainoralterwhatwasverydeartothem。Theywerebothfondofhim，buttheirnatureshadsetfootondefinitelydivergingpaths。Theclosertheaffection，themorewatchfultheywereagainstinterferencebythataffection。Noelhadalookonherface，halfdazed，halfproud，whichtouched，yetvexedhim。Whathadhedonetoforfeitherconfidence——surelyshemustseehownaturalandrighthisoppositionhadbeen！Hemadeonegreatefforttoshowtherealsympathyhefeltforher。Butsheonlysaid:\"Ican’ttalkofCyril，Daddy;Isimplycan’t！\"Andhe，whoeasilyshrankintohisshell，couldnotbutacquiesceinherreserve。
WithGratianitwasdifferent。Heknewthatanencounterwasbeforehim;astrugglebetweenhimandherhusband——forcharacteristicallyhesetthechangeinher，thedefectionofherfaith，downtoGeorge，nottospontaneousthoughtandfeelinginherself。Hedreadedandyetlookedforwardtothisencounter。Itcameonthethirdday，whenLairdwasup，lyingonthatverysofawherePiersonhadsatlisteningtoGratian’sconfessionofdisbelief。Exceptforputtinginhisheadtosaygoodmorning，hehadnotyetseenhisson—in—law:Theyoungdoctorcouldnotlookfragile，thebuildofhisface，withthatlawandthoseheavycheekboneswastoomuchagainstit，buttherewasabouthimenoughofthelookofhavingcomethroughahardfighttogivePierson’sheartasqueeze。
\"Well，George，\"hesaid，\"yougaveusadreadfulfright！IthankGod’smercy。\"Withthathalf—mechanicalphrasehehadflunganunconsciouschallenge。Lairdlookedupwhimsically。
\"SoyoureallythinkGodmerciful，sir？\"
\"Don’tletusargue，George;you’renotstrongenough。\"
\"Oh！I’mpiningforsomethingtobiteon。\"
PiersonlookedatGratian，andsaidsoftly:
\"God’smercyisinfinite，andyouknowitis。\"
LairdalsolookedatGratian，beforeheanswered:
\"God’smercyissurelytheamountofmercymanhassucceededinarrivingat。Howmuchthatis，thiswartellsyou，sir。\"
Piersonflushed。\"Idon’tfollowyou，\"hesaidpainfully。\"Howcanyousaysuchthings，whenyouyourselfareonlyjustNo;Irefusetoargue，George;Irefuse。\"
Lairdstretchedouthishandtohiswife，whocametohim，andstoodclaspingitwithherown。\"Well，I’mgoingtoargue，\"hesaid;\"I’msimplyburstingwithit。Ichallengeyou，sir，toshowmewherethere’sanysignofaltruisticpity，exceptinman。Motherlovedoesn’tcount——motherandchildaretoomuchone。\"
Thecurioussmilehadcomealready，onboththeirfaces。
\"MydearGeorge，isnotmanthehighestworkofGod，andmercythehighestqualityinman？\"
\"Notabit。Ifgeologicaltimebetakenastwenty—fourhours，man’sexistenceonearthsofarequalsjusttwosecondsofit;afterafewmoreseconds，whenmanhasbeenfrozenofftheearth，geologicaltimewillstretchforaslongagain，beforetheearthbumpsintosomething，andbecomesnebulaoncemore。God’shandshaven’tbeenparticularlyfull，sir，havethey——twosecondsoutoftwenty—fourhours——ifmanisHispetconcern？Andastomercybeingthehighestqualityin，man，that’sonlyamodernfashionoftalking。Man’shighestqualityisthesenseofproportion，forthat’swhatkeepshimalive;andmercy，logicallypursued，wouldkillhimoff。It’sasortofaluxuryorby—product。\"
\"George！Youcanhavenomusicinyoursoul！Scienceissuchalittlething，ifyoucouldonlysee。\"
\"Showmeabigger，sir。\"
\"Faith。\"
\"Inwhat？\"
\"Inwhathasbeenrevealedtous。\"
\"Ah！Thereitisagain！Bywhom——how？
\"ByGodHimself——throughourLord。\"
AfaintflushroseinLaird’syellowface，andhiseyesbrightened。
\"Christ，\"hesaid;\"ifHeexisted，whichsomepeople，asyouknow，doubt，wasaverybeautifulcharacter;therehavebeenothers。ButtoaskustobelieveinHissupernaturalnessordivinityatthistimeofdayistoaskustowalkthroughtheworldblindfold。Andthat’swhatyoudo，don’tyou？\"
AgainPiersonlookedathisdaughter’sface。Shewasstandingquitestill，withhereyesfixedonherhusband。Somehowhewasawarethatallthesewordsofthesickman’swereforherbenefit。Anger，andasortofdespairrosewithinhim，andhesaidpainfully:
\"Icannotexplain。TherearethingsthatIcan’tmakeclear，becauseyouarewilfullyblindtoallthatIbelievein。Forwhatdoyouimaginewearefightingthisgreatwar，ifitisnottoreestablishthebeliefinloveastheguidingprincipleoflife？\"
Lairdshookhishead。\"Wearefightingtoredressabalance，whichwasindangerofbeinglost。\"
\"Thebalanceofpower？\"
\"Heavens！——no！Thebalanceofphilosophy。\"
Piersonsmiled。\"Thatsoundsveryclever，George;butagain，Idon’tfollowyou。\"
\"Thebalancebetweenthesayings:’MightisRight，’and’RightisMight。’They’rebothhalf—truth，butthefirstwasbeatingtheotheroutofthefield。Alltherestofitiscant，youknow。Andbytheway，sir，yourChurchissolidforpunishmentoftheevildoer。
Where’smercythere？EitheritsGodisnotmerciful，orelseitdoesn’tbelieveinitsGod。\"
\"Justpunishmentdoesnotprecludemercy，George。\"
\"ItdoesinNature。\"
\"Ah！Nature，George——alwaysNature。GodtranscendsNature。\"
\"ThenwhydoesHegiveitafreerein？Amantoofondofdrink，orwomen——howmuchmercydoeshegetfromNature？Hisoverindulgencebringsitsexactequivalentofpenalty;lethimpraytoGodasmuchashelikes——unlesshealtershiswayshegetsnomercy。Ifhedoesalterhisways，hegetsnomercyeither;hejustgetsNature’sduereward。WeEnglishwhohaveneglectedbrainandeducation——howmuchmercyarewegettinginthiswar？Mercy’saman—madeornament，disease，orluxury——callitwhatyouwill。Exceptthat，I’venothingtosayagainstit。Onthecontrary，Iamallforit。\"
OncemorePiersonlookedathisdaughter。Somethinginherfacehurthim——thesilentintensitywithwhichshewashangingonherhusband’swords，theeagersearchofhereyes。Andheturnedtothedoor，saying:
\"Thisisbadforyou，George。\"
HesawGratianputherhandonherhusband’sforehead，andthought——
jealously:’HowcanIsavemypoorgirlfromthisinfidelity？Aremytwentyyearsofcaretogofornothing，againstthismodernspirit？’
Downinhisstudy，thewordswentthroughhismind:\"Holy，holy，holy，MercifulandMighty！\"Andgoingtothelittlepianointhecorner，heopenedit，andbeganplayingthehymn。Heplayeditsoftlyontheshabbykeysofthisthirty—yearoldfriend，whichhadbeenwithhimsinceCollegedays;andsangitsoftlyinhiswornvoice。
Asoundmadehimlookup。Gratianhadcomein。Sheputherhandonhisshoulder，andsaid:
\"Iknowithurtsyou，Dad。Butwe’vegottofindoutforourselves，。
haven’twe？AllthetimeyouandGeorgeweretalking，Ifeltthatyoudidn’tseethatit’sIwho’vechanged。It’snotwhathethinks，butwhatI’vecometothinkofmyownaccord。Iwishyou’dunderstandthatI’vegotamindofmyown，Dad。\"
Piersonlookedupwithamazement。
\"Ofcourseyouhaveamind。\"
Gratianshookherhead。\"No，youthoughtmymindwasyours;andnowyouthinkit’sGeorge’s。Butit’smyown。Whenyouweremyageweren’tyoutryinghardtofindthetruthyourself，anddifferingfromyourfather？\"
Piersondidnotanswer。Hecouldnotremember。Itwaslikestirringastickamongstadriftoflastyear’sleaves，toawakenbutadryrustling，avaguesenseofunsubstantiality。Searched？Nodoubthehadsearched，buttheprocesshadbroughthimnothing。Knowledgewasallsmoke！Emotionalfaithalonewastruth——reality\"Ah，Gracie！\"hesaid，\"searchifyoumust，butwherewillyoufindbottom？Thewellistoodeepforus。YouwillcomebacktoGod，mychild，whenyou’retiredout;theonlyrestisthere。\"
\"Idon’twanttorest。Somepeoplesearchalltheirlives，anddiesearching。Whyshouldn’tI。
\"Youwillbemostunhappy，mychild。\"
\"IfI’munhappy，Dad，it’llbebecausetheworld’sunhappy。Idon’tbelieveitoughttobe;Ithinkitonlyis，becauseitshutsitseyes。\"
Piersongotup。\"YouthinkIshutmyeyes？\"
Gratiannodded。
\"IfIdo，itisbecausethereisnootherwaytohappiness。\"
\"Areyouhappy;Dad？\"
\"Ashappyasmynaturewillletmebe。Imissyourmother。IfI
loseyouandNoel——\"
\"Oh，butwewon’tletyou！\"
Piersonsmiled。\"Mydear，\"hesaid，\"IthinkIhave！\"
VIII
1
Somewag，withabitofchalk，hadwrittentheword\"Peace\"onthreesuccessivedoorsofalittlestreetoppositeBuckinghamPalace。
ItcaughttheeyeofJimmyFort，limpinghometohisroomsfromaverylatediscussionathisClub，andtwistedhisleanshavenlipsintoasortofsmile。Hewasoneofthoserolling—stoneEnglishmen，whoseearlylivesarespentinallpartsoftheworld，andinallkindsofphysicalconflict——amanlikeahickorystick，tall，thin，bolt—upright，knotty，hardasnails，withacurvedfightingbacktohisheadandastraightfightingfronttohisbrownface。Hiswasthetypewhichbecomes，inagenerationorso，typicallyColonialorAmerican;butnoonecouldpossiblyhavetakenJimmyFortforanythingbutanEnglishman。Thoughhewasnearlyforty，therewasstillsomethingoftheboyinhisface，somethingfrankandcurly—
headed，gallantandfullofsteam，andhissmallsteadygreyeyeslookedoutonlifewithasortofcombativehumour。Hewasstillinuniform，thoughtheyhadgivenhimupasabadjobafterkeepinghimninemonthstryingtomendawoundedlegwhichwouldneverbesoundagain;andhewasnowintheWarOfficeinconnectionwithhorses，aboutwhichheknew。Hedidnotlikeit，havinglivedtoolongwithallsortsandconditionsofmenwhowereneitherEnglishnorofficial，acombinationwhichhefoundtrying。Hislifeindeed，justnow，boredhimtodistraction，andhewouldtentimesratherhavebeenbackinFrance。Thiswaswhyhefoundtheword\"Peace\"soexceptionallytantalising。
Reachinghisrooms，hethrewoffhistunic，towhosestiffregularityhestillhadarootedaversion;and，pullingoutapipe，filleditandsatdownathiswindow。
Moonshinecouldnotcoolthehottown，anditseemedsleepingbadly——thesevenmillionsleepersintheirmillionhomes。Soundlingeredon，neverquiteceased;thestaleodoursclunginthenarrowstreetbelow，thoughalittlewindwascreepingabouttosweetentheair。
’Cursethewar！’hethought。’Whatwouldn’tIgivetobesleepingout，insteadofinthisdamnedcity！’Theywhosleptintheopen，neglectingmorality，wouldcertainlyhavethebestofittonight，fornomoredewwasfallingthanfellintoJimmyFort’shearttocoolthefretofthatceaselessthought:’Thewar！Thecursedwar！’Intheunendingrowsoflittlegreyhouses，inhugecaravanserais，andthemansionsofthegreat，invillas，andhighslumtenements;inthegovernmentoffices，andfactories，andrailwaystationswheretheyworkedallnight;inthelonghospitalswheretheylayinrows;inthecampprisonsoftheinterned;inbarracks，work—houses，palaces——nohead，sleepingorwaking，wouldbefreeofthatthought:’The，cursedwar！’Aspirecaughthiseye，risingghostlyovertheroofs。
Ah！churchesalone，voidofthehumansoul，wouldbeunconscious！
Butfortherest，evensleepwouldnotfreethem！Hereamotherwouldbewhisperingthenameofherboy;thereamerchantwouldsnoreanddreamhewasdrowning，weightedwithgold;andawifewouldbeturningtostretchoutherarmsto—noone;andawoundedsoldierwakeoutofadreamtrenchwithsweatonhisbrow;andanewsvendorinhisgarretmutterhoarsely。Bythousandsthebereavedwouldbetossing，stiflingtheirmoans;bythousandstheruinedwouldbegazingintothedarkfuture;andhousewivesstrugglingwithsums;andsoldierssleepinglikelogs——fortomorrowtheydied;andchildrendreamingofthem;andprostituteslyinginstalewonderatthebusynessoftheirlives;andjournalistssleepingthesleepofthejust。Andoverthemall，inthemoonlightthatthought’Thecursedwar！’flappeditsblackwings，likeanoldcrow！\"IfChristwerereal，\"hemused，\"He’dreachthatmoondown，andgochalking’Peace’withitoneverydoorofeveryhouse，alloverEurope。ButChrist’snotreal，andHindenburgandHarmsworthare！\"AsrealtheywereastwogreatbullshehadonceseeninSouthAfrica，fighting。Heseemedtohearagainthestampandsnortandcrashofthosethickskulls，toseethebeastsrecoilinganddrivingateachother，andthelittleredeyesofthem。Andpullingaletteroutofhispocket，hereaditagainbythelightofthemoon:
\"15，CamelotMansions，\"St。John’sWood。
\"DEARMR。FORT，\"IcameacrossyourClubaddressto—night，lookingatsomeoldletters。DidyouknowthatIwasinLondon？IleftSteenbokwhenmyhusbanddied，fiveyearsago。I’vehadasimplyterrifictimesince。
WhiletheGermanSouthWestcampaignwasonIwasnursingoutthere，butcamebackaboutayearagotolendahandhere。Itwouldbeawfullynicetomeetyouagain，ifbyanychanceyouareinEngland。
I’mworkinginaV。A。D。hospitalintheseparts，butmyeveningsareusuallyfree。Doyourememberthatmoonlitnightatgrapeharvest？Thenightsherearen’tscentedquitelikethat。Listerine！
Oh！Thiswar！
\"Withallgoodremembrances，\"LEILALYNCH。\"
Aterrifictime！Ifhedidnotmistake，LeilaLynchhadalwayshadaterrifictime。Andhesmiled，seeingagainthestoepofanoldDutchhouseatHighConstantia，andawomansittingthereunderthewhiteflowersofasweet—scentedcreeper——aprettywoman，witheyeswhichcouldputaspellonyou，awomanhewouldhavegotentangledwithifhehadnotcutandrunforit！Tenyearsago，andhereshewasagain，refreshinghimoutofthepast。Hesniffedthefragranceofthelittleletter。Howeverybodyalwaysmanagedtoworkintoaletterwhattheyweredoinginthewar！Ifheansweredherhewouldbesuretosay:\"SinceIgotlamed，I’vebeenattheWarOffice，workingonremounts，andadulljobitis！\"LeilaLynch！Womendidn’tgetyounger，andhesuspectedherofbeingolderthanhimself。