Evewon’tgetanyleavetillEaster;andIcanbequitealone，andseetoNolliehere。Theservantscanhaveaholiday——，NurseandI
willrunthehousetogether。Ishallenjoyit。\"
\"You’reagoodwoman，Thirza！\"Takinghiswife’shand，heputittohislips。\"Thereisn’tanotherwomanlikeyouintheworld。\"
Thirza’seyessmiled。\"Passmeyourcup;I’llgiveyousomefreshcoffee。\"
Itwasdecidedtoputtheplanintooperationatmid—month，andshebentallherwitstoinstillingintoherhusbandthethoughtthatababymoreorlesswasnogreatmatterinaworldwhichalreadycontainedtwelvehundredmillionpeople。Withaman’skeenersenseoffamilypropriety，hecouldnotseethatthisbabywouldbethesameasanyotherbaby。\"Byheaven！\"hewouldsay，\"Isimplycan’tgetusedtoit;inourfamily！AndTedaparson！Whatthedevilshallwedowithit？\"
\"IfNolliewillletus，whyshouldn’tweadoptit？It’llbesomethingtotakemythoughtsofftheboys。\"
\"That’sanidea！ButTed’safunnyfellow。He’llhavesomedoctrineofatonement，orotherinhisbonnet。\"
\"Oh，bother！\"saidThirzawithasperity。
ThethoughtofsojourningintownforaspellwasnotunpleasanttoBobPierson。HisTribunalworkwasover，hisearly，potatoesin，andhehadvisionsofworkingfortheCountry，ofbeingaspecialconstable，anddiningathisClub。Thenearerhewastothefront，andthemorehecouldtalkaboutthewar，thegreatertheservicehefelthewouldbedoing。Hewouldaskforajobwherehisbrainswouldbeofuse。HeregrettedkeenlythatThirzawouldn’tbewithhim;alongseparationlikethiswouldbeagreattrial。Andhewouldsighandrunhisfingersthroughhiswhiskers。StillfortheCountry，andforNollie，onemustputupwithit！
WhenThirzafinallysawhimintothetrain，tearsstoodintheeyesofboth，fortheywerehonestlyattached，andknewwellenoughthatthisjob，oncetakeninhand，wouldhavetobeseenthrough;athreemonths’separationatleast。
\"Ishallwriteeveryday。\"
\"SoshallI，Bob。\"
\"Youwon’tfret，oldgirl？\"
\"Onlyifyoudo。\"
\"Ishallbeupat5。5，andshe’llbedownat4。50。Giveusakiss——
damntheporters。Godblessyou！Isupposeshe’dmindif——I——weretocomedownnowandthen？\"
\"I’mafraidshewould。It’s——it’s——well，youknow。\"
\"Yes，Yes;Ido。\"Andhereallydid;forunderneath，hehadtruedelicacy。
Herlastwords:\"You’reverysweet，Bob，\"remainedinhisearsallthewaytoSevernJunction。
Shewentbacktothehouse，emptiedofherhusband，daughter，boys，andmaids;onlythedogsleftandtheoldnursewhomshehadtakenintoconfidence。Eveninthatsheltered，woodedvalleyitwasverycoldthiswinter。Thebirdshidthemselves，notoneflowerbloomed，andthered—brownriverwasfullandswift。Thesoundoftreesbeingfelledfortrenchprops，inthewoodabovethehouseresoundedalldaylonginthefrostyair。Shemeanttodothecookingherself;andfortherestofthemorningandearlyafternoonsheconcoctednicethings，andthoughtouthowsheherselfwouldfeelifshewereNoelandNoelshe，soastosmoothoutofthewayanythingwhichwouldhurtthegirl。Intheafternoonshewentdowntothestationinthevillagecar，thesamewhichhadborneCyrilMorlandawaythatJulynight，fortheircoachmanhadbeentakenforthearmy，andthehorseswereturnedout。
Noellookedtiredandwhite，butcalm——toocalm。HerfaceseemedtoThirzatohavefineddown，andwiththosebroodingeyes，tobemorebeautiful。Inthecarshepossessedherselfofthegirl’shand，andsqueezedithard;theironlyallusiontothesituation，exceptNoel’sformal:
\"Thankyousomuch，Auntie，forhavingme;it’smostawfullysweetofyouandUncleBob。\"
\"There’snooneinthehouse，mydear，exceptoldNurse。It’llbeverydullforyou;butIthoughtI’dteachyoutocook;it’sratheruseful。\"
ThesmilewhichslippedontoNoel’sfacegaveThirzaquiteaturn。
Shehadassignedthegirladifferentroom，andhadmadeitextraordinarilycheerfulwithalogfire，chrysanthemums，brightcoppercandlesticks，warming—pans，andsuchlike。
Shewentupwithheratbedtime，andstandingbeforethefire，said:
\"Youknow，Nollie，Iabsolutelyrefusetoregardthisasanysortoftragedy。Tobringlifeintotheworldsinthesedays，nomatter—
how，oughttomakeanyonehappy。IonlywishIcoulddoitagain，thenIshouldfeelsomeuse。Goodnightdear;andifyouwantanything，knockonthewall。I’mnextdoor。Blessyou！\"Shesawthatthegirlwasgreatlymoved，underneathherpalemask;andwentoutastonishedatherniece’spowersofself—control。
Butshedidnotsleepatallwell;forinimagination，shekeptonseeingNoelturningfromsidetosideinthebigbed，andthosegreateyesofhersstaringatthedark。
2
ThemeetingofthebrothersPiersontookplaceatthedinner—hour，andwascharacterisedbyatrulyEnglishlackofdisplay。Theyweresoextremelydifferent，andhadbeentogethersolittlesinceearlydaysintheiroldBuckinghamshirehome，thattheywerepracticallystrangers，withjustthepotentlinkoffar—distantmemoriesincommon。Itwasofthesetheytalked，andaboutthewar。Onthissubjecttheyagreedinthelarge，anddifferedinthenarrow。Forinstance，boththoughttheyknewaboutGermanyandothercountries，andneitherofcoursehadanyrealknowledgeofanycountryoutsidetheirown;for，thoughbothhadpassedthroughconsiderabletractsofforeigngroundatonetimeoranother，theyhadneverremarkedanythingexceptitssurface，——itschurches，anditssunsets。Again，bothassumedthattheyweredemocrats，butneitherknewthemeaningoftheword，norfeltthattheworkingmancouldbereallytrusted;
andbothreveredChurchand，King:Bothdislikedconscription，butconsidereditnecessary。BothfavouredHomeRuleforIreland，butneitherthoughtitpossibletograntit。Bothwishedforthewartoend，butwereforprosecutingittoVictory，andneitherknewwhattheymeantbythatword。Somuchforthelarge。Onthenarrowerissues，suchasstrategy，andthepersonalityoftheircountry’sleaders，theywereopposed。EdwardwasaWesterner，RobertanEasterner，aswasnaturalinonewhohadlivedtwenty—fiveyearsinCeylon。Edwardfavouredthefallengovernment，Roberttherisen。
Neitherhadanyparticularreasonsfortheirpartisanshipexceptwhathehadreadinthejournals。Afterall——whatotherreasonscouldtheyhavehad？EdwarddislikedtheHarmswortbPress;Robertthoughtitwasdoinggood。Robertwasexplosive，andrathervague;Edwarddreamy，andalittledidactic。RobertthoughtpoorTedlookinglikeaghost;EdwardthoughtpoorBoblookinglikethesettingsun。Theirfaceswereindeedascuriouslycontrastedastheirviewsandvoices;
thepale—dark，hollowed，narrowfaceofEdward，withitsshort，pointedbeard，andthered—skinned，broad，full，whiskeredfaceofRobert。Theypartedforthenightwithanaffectionatehand—clasp。
Sobeganaqueerpartnershipwhichconsisted，asthedayswenton，ofhalfanhour’scompanionshipatbreakfast，eachreadingthepaper;
andofdinnertogetherperhapsthreetimesaweek。Eachthoughthisbrotherveryodd，butcontinuedtoholdthehighestopinionofhim。
And，behinditall，thedeeptribalsensethattheystoodtogetherintrouble，grew。Butofthattroubletheyneverspoke，thoughnotseldomRobertwouldlowerhisjournal，andabovetheglassesperchedonhiswell—shapednose，contemplatehisbrother，andalittlefrownofsympathywouldridgehisforeheadbetweenhisbushyeyebrows。AndonceinawayhewouldcatchEdward’seyescomingoffdutyfromhisjournal，tolook，notathisbrother，butat——theskeleton;whenthathappened，Robertwouldadjusthisglasseshastily，damnthenewspapertype，andapologisetoEdwardforswearing。Andhewouldthink:
’PoorTed！Heoughttodrinkport，and——andenjoyhimself，andforgetit。Whatapityhe’saparson！’
InhisletterstoThirzahewoulddeploreEdward’sasceticism。\"Heeatsnothing，hedrinksnothing，hesmokesamiserablecigaretteonceinabluemoon。He’saslonelyasacoot;it’sathousandpitiesheeverlosthiswife。Iexpecttoseehiswingssproutanyday;but—
dashitallI——Idon’tbelievehe’sgotthefleshtogrowthemon。
Sendhimupsomeclottedcream;I’llseeifIcangethimtoeatit。\"
Whenthecreamcame，hegotEdwardtoeatsomethefirstmorning，andatteatimefoundthathehadfinishedithimself。\"WenevertalkaboutNollie，\"hewrote，\"I’malwaysmeaningtohaveitoutwithhimandtellhimtobuckup，butwhenitcomestothepointIdryup;
because，afterall，Ifeelittoo;itsticksinmygizzardhorribly。
WePiersonsareprettyold，andwe’vealwaysbeenrespectable，eversinceSt。Bartholomew，whenthatHuguenotchapcameoverandfoundedus。TheonlyblacksheepIeverheardofisCousinLeila。Bytheway，Isawhertheotherday;shecameroundheretoseeTed。I
remembergoingtostaywithherandherfirsthusband;youngFane，atSimla，whenIwascominghome，justbeforeweweremarried。Phew！
Thatwasaqueermenage;alltheyoungchapsflutteringroundher，andyoungFanelookinglikeacynicalghost。Evennowshecan’thelpsettinghercapalittleatTed，andheswallowsherwhole;thinksheradevotedcreaturereformedtothenineswithherhospitalandallthat。PooroldTed;heisthemostdreamychapthateverwas。\"
\"WehavehadGratianandherhusbandupfortheweek—end，\"hewrotealittlelater;\"Idon’tlikehersowellasNollie;tooseriousanddownrightforme。Herhusbandseemsasensiblefellow，though;butthedevilofafree—thinker。HeandpoorTedarelikecatanddog。
WehadLeilaintodinneragainonSaturday，andamancalledFortcametoo。She’ssweetonhim，Icouldseewithhalfaneye，butpooroldTedcan’t。ThedoctorandTedtalkeduphillanddowndale。Thedoctorsaidathingwhichstruckme。’Whatdividesusfromthebeasts？Willpower:nothingelse。What’sthiswar，really，butadeathcarnivalofproofthatman’swillisinvincible？’Istuckitdowntotellyou，whenIgotupstairs。He’sacleverfellow。I
believeinGod，asyouknow，butImustsaywhenitcomestoanargument，pooroldTeddoesseemabitweak，withhis:’We’retoldthis，’and’We’retoldthat:NobodymentionedNollie。ImusthavethewholethingoutwithTed;wemustknowhowtoactwhenit’sallover。\"
ButnottillthemiddleofMarch，whenthebrothershadbeensittingoppositeeachotheratmealsfortwomonths，wasthesubjectbroachedbetweenthem，andthennotbyRobert。Edward，standingbythehearthafterdinner，inhisfamiliarattitude，onefootonthefender，onehandgraspingthemantel—shelf，andhiseyesfixedontheflames，said:\"I’veneveraskedyourforgiveness，Bob。\"
Robert，lingeringatthetableoverhisglassofport，started，lookedatEdward’sbackinitsparson’scoat，andanswered:
\"Mydearoldchap！\"
\"Ithasbeenverydifficulttospeakofthis。\"
\"Ofcourse，ofcourse！\"Andtherewasasilence，whileRobert’seyestravelledroundthewallsforinspiration。TheyencounteredonlytheeffigiesofpastPiersonsveryoilyworks，andfellbackonthedining—table。Edwardwentonspeakingtothefire:
\"Itstillseemstomeincredible。DayandnightIthinkofwhatit’smydutytodo。\"
\"Nothing！\"ejaculatedRobert。\"LeavethebabywithThirza;we’lltakecareofit，andwhenNollie’sfit，lethergobacktoworkinahospitalagain。She’llsoongetoverit。\"Hesawhisbrothershakehishead，andthought:’Ah！yes;nowthere’sgoingtobesomed——dconscientiouscomplication。’
Edwardturnedroundonhim:\"Thatisverysweetofyouboth，butitwouldbewrongandcowardlyformetoallowit。\"
Theresentmentwhichspringsupinfatherswhenotherfathersdisposeofyounglives，roseinRobert。
\"Dashitall，mydearTed，that’sforNollietosay。She’sawomannow，remember。\"
Asmilewentstrayingaboutintheshadowsofhisbrother’sface。\"A
woman？LittleNollie！Bob，I’vemadeaterriblemessofitwithmygirls。\"Hehidhislipswithhishand，andturnedagaintotheflames。Robertfeltalumpinhisthroat。\"Oh！Hangit，oldboy，I
don’tthinkthat。Whatelsecouldyouhavedone？Youtaketoomuchonyourself。Afterall，they’refinegirls。I’msureNollie’sadarling。It’sthesemodernnotions，andthiswar。Cheerup！It’llalldrystraight。\"Hewentuptohisbrotherandputahandonhisshoulder。Edwardseemedtostiffenunderthattouch。
\"Nothingcomesstraight，\"hesaid，\"unlessit’sfaced;youknowthat，Bob。\"
Robert’sfacewasastudyatthatmoment。Hischeeksfilledandcollapsedagainlikeadog’swhenithasbeenrebuked。Hiscolourdeepened，andherattledsomemoneyinatrouserpocket。
\"Somethinginthat，ofcourse，\"hesaidgruffly。\"Allthesame，thedecision’swithNollie。We’llseewhatThirzasays。Anyway，there’snohurry。It’sathousandpitiesyou’reaparson;thetrouble’senoughwithoutthat:\"
Edwardshookhishead。\"Mypositionisnothing;it’sthethoughtofmychild，mywife’schild。It’ssheerpride;andIcan’tsubdueit。
Ican’tfightitdown。Godforgiveme，Irebel。\"
AndRobertthought:’ByGeorge，hedoestakeittoheart！Well，soshouldI！Ido，asitis！’Hetookouthispipe，andfilledit，pushingthetobaccodownanddown。
\"I’mnotamanoftheworld，\"heheardhisbrothersay;\"I’moutoftouchwithmanythings。It’salmostunbearabletometofeelthatI’mjoiningwiththeworldtocondemnmyowndaughter;notfortheirreasons，perhaps——Idon’tknow;Ihopenot，butstill，I’magainsther。\"
Robertlithispipe。
\"Steady，oldman！\"hesaid。\"It’samisfortune。ButifIwereyouIshouldfeel:’She’sdoneawild，sillything，but，hangit，ifanybodysaysawordagainsther，I’llwringhisneck。’Andwhat’smore，you’llfeelmuchthesame，whenitcomestothepoint。\"Heemittedahugepuffofsmoke，whichobscuredhisbrother’sface，andtheblood，buzzinginhistemples，seemedtothickenthesoundofEdward’svoice。
\"Idon’tknow;I’vetriedtoseeclearly。Ihaveprayedtobeshownwhatherdutyis，andmine。Itseemstometherecanbenopeaceforheruntilshehasatoned，byopensuffering;thattheworld’sjudgmentishercross，andshemustbearit;especiallyinthesedays，whenalltheworldisfacingsufferingsonobly。Andthenitseemssohard—sobitter;mypoorlittleNollie！\"
Therewasasilence，brokenonlybythegurglingofRobert’spipe，tillhesaidabruptly:
\"Idon’tfollowyou，Ted;no，Idon’t。Ithinkamanshouldscreenhischildrenallhecan。Talktoherasyoulike，butdon’tlettheworlddoit。Dashit，theworld’sarottengabblingplace。Icallmyselfamanoftheworld，butwhenitcomestoprivatematters——
well，thenIdrawtheline。Itseemstomeitseemstomeinhuman。
WhatdoesGeorgeLairdthinkaboutit？He’saknowingchap。I
supposeyou’ve——no，Isupposeyouhaven’t——\"ForapeculiarsmilehadcomeonEdward’sface。
\"No，\"hesaid，\"IshouldhardlyaskGeorgeLaird’sopinion。\"
AndRobertrealisedsuddenlythestubbornlonelinessofthatthinblackfigure，whosefingerswereplayingwithalittlegoldcross。
’ByJove！’hethought，’IbelieveoldTed’slikeoneofthoseEasternchapswhogointolonelyplaces。He’sgothimselfsurroundedbyvisionsofthingsthataren’tthere。Helivesinunreality——
somethingwecan’tunderstand。Ishouldn’tbesurprisedifheheardvoices，like——whowasit？Tt，tt！Whatapity！’Tedwasdeceptive。
Hewasgentleand——allthat，agentlemanofcourse，andthatdisguisedhim;butunderneath;whatwasthere——aregularascetic，afakir！Andasenseofbewilderment，ofdealingwithsomethingwhichhecouldnotgrasp，besetBobPierson，sothathewentbacktothetable，andsatdownagainbesidehisport。
\"Itseemstome，\"hesaidrathergruffly，\"thatthechickenhadbetterbehatchedbeforewecountit。\"Andthen，sorryforhisbrusqueness，emptiedhisglass。Asthefluidpassedoverhispalate，hethought:’PooroldTed！Hedoesn’tevendrink——hasn’tapleasureinlife，sofarasIcansee，exceptdoinghisduty，anddoesn’tevenseemtoknowwhatthatis。Therearen’tmanylikehim——luckily！AndyetIlovehim——patheticchap！’
The\"patheticchap\"wasstillstaringattheflames。
3
Andatthisveryhour，whenthebrothersweretalking——forthoughtandfeelingdopassmysteriouslyovertheinvisiblewiresofspaceCyrilMorland’ssonwasbeingbornofNoel，alittlebeforehistime。
PARTIII
I
DownbytheRiverWye，amongplum—treesinblossom，Noelhadlaidherbabyinahammock，andstoodreadingaletter:
\"MYDEARESTNOLLIE，\"Nowthatyouarestrongagain，IfeelthatImustputbeforeyoumyfeelingastoyourdutyinthiscrisisofyourlife。Yourauntandunclehavemadethemostkindandgenerousoffertoadoptyourlittleboy。Ihaveknownthatthiswasintheirmindsforsometime，andhavethoughtitoverdayandnightforweeks。Intheworldlysenseitwouldbethebestthing，nodoubt。Butthisisaspiritualmatter。Thefutureofoursoulsdependsonhowwemeettheconsequencesofourconduct。Andpainful，dreadful，indeed，astheymustbe，Iamdriventofeelthatyoucanonlyreachtruepeacebyfacingtheminaspiritofbravehumility。Iwantyoutothinkandthink——tillyouarriveatacertaintywhichsatisfiesyourconscience。Ifyoudecide，asItrustyouwill，tocomebacktomeherewithyourboy，Ishalldoallinmypowertomakeyouhappywhilewefacethefuturetogether。Todoasyourauntanduncleintheirkindnesswish，would，Iamsoreafraid，endindeprivingyouoftheinnerstrengthandhappinesswhichGodonlygivestothosewhodotheirdutyandtrycourageouslytorepairtheirerrors。Ihaveconfidenceinyou，mydearchild。
\"Everyourmostlovingfather，\"EDWARDPIERSON。\"
Shereaditthroughasecondtime，andlookedatherbaby。Daddyseemedtothinkthatshemightbewillingtopartfromthiswonderfulcreature！Sunlightfellthroughtheplumblossom，inanextrapatchworkquiltoverthebundlelyingthere，touchedthebaby’snoseandmouth，sothathesneezed。Noellaughed，andputherlipsclosetohisface。’Giveyouup！’shethought:’Oh，no！AndI’mgoingtobehappytoo。Theyshan’tstopme:
Inanswertothelettershesaidsimplythatshewascomingup;andaweeklatershewent，tothedismayofheruncleandaunt。Theoldnursewenttoo。EverythinghadhithertobeensocarefullywatchedandguardedagainstbyThirza，thatNoeldidnotreallycomefacetofacewithherpositiontillshereachedhome。
Gratian，whohadmanagedtogettransferredtoaLondonHospital，wasnowlivingathome。Shehadprovidedthehousewithnewmaidsagainsthersister’sreturn;andthoughNoelwasrelievednottomeetheroldfamiliars，sheencounteredwithdifficultythestolidcuriosityofnewfaces。ThatmorningbeforesheleftKestrel，heraunthadcomeintoherroomwhileshewasdressing，takenherlefthandandslippedalittlegoldbandontoitsthirdfinger。
\"Topleaseme，Nollie，nowthatyou’regoing，justforthefoolish，whoknownothingaboutyou。\"
Noelhadsuffereditwiththethought:’It’sallverysilly！’Butnow，whenthenewmaidwaspouringoutherhotwater，shewassuddenlyawareofthegirl’sroundblueeyeswandering，asitwere，mechanicallytoherhand。Thislittlehoopofgold，then，hadanawfulpower！Arushofdisgustcameoverher。Alllifeseemedsuddenlyathingofformsandsham。Everybodythenwouldlookatthatlittlering;andshewasacoward，savingherselffromthem！
Whenshewasaloneagain，sheslippeditoff，andlaiditonthewashstand，wherethesunlightfell。Onlythislittleshiningbandofmetal，thislittleyellowring，stoodbetweenherandtheworld’shostilescorn！Herlipstrembled。Shetookupthering，andwenttotheopenwindow;tothrowitout。Butshedidnot，uncertainandunhappy——halfrealisingthecrueltyoflife。Aknockatthedoorsentherflyingbacktothewashstand。ThevisitorwasGratian。
\"I’vebeenlookingathim，\"shesaidsoftly;\"he’slikeyou，Nollie，exceptforhisnose。\"
\"He’shardlygotoneyet。Butaren’thiseyesintelligent？Ithinkthey’rewonderful。\"Sheheldupthering:\"WhatshallIdoaboutthis，Gratian？\"
Gratianflushed。\"Wearit。Idon’tseewhyoutsidersshouldknow。
ForthesakeofDadIthinkyouought。There’stheparish。\"
Noelslippedtheringbackontoherfinger。\"Wouldyou？\"
\"Ican’ttell。IthinkIwould。\"
Noellaughedsuddenly。\"I’mgoingtogetcynical;Icanfeelitinmybones。HowisDaddylooking？\"
\"Verythin;Mr。LauderisbackagainfromtheFrontforabit，andtakingsomeoftheworknow。\"
\"DoIhurthimverymuchstill？\"
\"He’sawfullypleasedthatyou’vecome。He’sassweetashecanbeaboutyou。\"
\"Yes，\"murmuredNoel，\"that’swhat’sdreadful。I’mgladhewasn’tinwhenIcame。Hashetoldanyone？\"
Gratianshookherhead。\"Idon’tthinkanybodyknows;unless——
perhapsCaptainFort。Hecameinagaintheothernight;andsomehow——\"
Noelflushed。\"Leila！\"shesaidenigmatically。\"Haveyouseenher？\"
\"IwenttoherflatlastweekwithDad——helikesher。\"
\"Delilahisherrealname，youknow。Allmenlikeher。AndCaptainFortisherlover。\"
Gratiangasped。Noelwouldsaythingssometimeswhichmadeherfeeltheyoungerofthetwo。
\"Ofcourseheis，\"wentonNoelinahardvoice。\"Shehasnomenfriends;hersortneverhave，onlylovers。Whydoyouthinkheknowsaboutme？\"
\"Whenheaskedafteryouhelooked——\"
\"Yes;I’veseenhimlooklikethatwhenhe’ssorryforanything。I
don’tcare。HasMonsieurLavendiebeeninlately？\"
\"Yes;helooksawfullyunhappy。\"
\"Hiswifedrugs。\"
\"Oh，Nollie！Howdoyouknow？\"
\"Isawheronce;I’msureshedoes;therewasasmell;andshe’sgotwanderingeyesthatgoallglassy。Hecanpaintmenow，ifhelikes。
Iwouldn’tlethimbefore。Doesbeknow？\"
\"Ofcoursenot。\"
\"Heknowstherewassomething;he’sgotsecondsight，Ithink。ButI
mindhimlessthananybody。IshispictureofDaddygood？\"
\"Powerful，butithurts，somehow。\"
\"Let’sgodownandseeit。\"
Thepicturewashunginthedrawing—room，anditsintensemodernitymadethatold—fashionedroomseemlifelessandstrange。Theblackfigure，withlongpalefingerstouchingthepalerpianokeys，hadafrighteningactuality。Theface，three—quartersfull，wasraisedasifforinspiration，andtheeyesrested，dreamyandunseeing，onthefaceofagirlpaintedandhungonabackgroundofwallabovethepiano。
\"It’sthefaceofthatgirl，\"saidGratian，whentheyhadlookedatthepictureforsometimeinsilence:
\"No，\"saidNoel，\"it’sthelookinhiseyes。\"
\"Butwhydidhechoosesuchahorrid，commongirl？Isn’tshefearfullyalive，though？Shelooksasifsheweresaying:
’Cheerio！’\"
\"Sheis;it’sawfullypathetic，Ithink。PoorDaddy！\"
\"It’salibel，\"saidGratianstubbornly。
\"No。That’swhathurts。Heisn’tquite——quiteallthere。Willhebecominginsoon？\"
Gratiantookherarm，andpressedithard。\"Wouldyoulikemeatdinnerornot;Icaneasilybeout？\"
Noelshookherhead。\"It’snogoodtofunkit。Hewantedme，andnowhe’sgotme。Oh！whydidhe？It’llbeawfulforhim。\"
Gratiansighed。\"I’vetriedmybest，buthealwayssaid:’I’vethoughtsolongaboutitallthatIcan’tthinkanylonger。Icanonlyfeelthebravercourseisthebest。Whenthingsarebravelyandhumblymet，therewillbecharityandforgiveness。’\"
\"Therewon’t，\"saidNoel，\"Daddy’sasaint，andhedoesn’tsee。\"
\"Yes，heisasaint。Butonemustthinkforoneself——onesimplymust。Ican’tbelieveashedoes，anymore;canyou，Nollie？\"
\"Idon’tknow。WhenIwasgoingthroughit，Iprayed;butIdon’tknowwhetherIreallybelieved。Idon’tthinkImindmuchaboutthat，onewayortheother。\"
\"Imindterribly，\"saidGratian，\"Iwantthetruth。\"
\"Idon’tknowwhatIwant，\"saidNoelslowly，\"exceptthatsometimesIwant——life;awfully。\"
Andthetwosistersweresilent，lookingateachotherwithasortofwonder。
Noelhadafancytoputonabright—colouredbluefrockthatevening，andatherneckshehungaBretoncrossofoldpaste，whichhadbelongedtohermother。Whenshehadfinisheddressingshewentintothenurseryandstoodbythebaby’scot。Theoldnursewhowassittingtherebesidehim，gotupatonceandsaid:
\"He’ssleepingbeautiful——thelamb。I’llgodownandgetacupo’
tea，andcomeup，ma’am，whenthegonggoes。\"Inthewaypeculiartothosewhohavenevertoinitiate，butonlytosupportpositionsinwhichtheyareplacedbyothers，shehadadoptedforherselfthetheorythatNoelwasarealwar—widow。Sheknewthetruthperfectly;
forshehadwatchedthathurriedlittleromanceatKestrel，butbydintofcharityandblurredmeditationsitwaseasyforhertoimaginethemarriageceremonywhichwouldandshouldhavetakenplace;andshewaszealousthatotherpeopleshouldimagineittoo。