TheSilentLegion 10207569

TH E
S I L E NT L E G I O N
J E B U C K RO S E
/
. .
AUTH O R OF
TH E G O S S I P S H OP , E TC .
a n mm , a we
W546
7
_
NE W YO R K
G R O S S E T 85 D U NLAP
P u m L I S H E R s
COPYRI GHT, 1 9 1 8 ,
BY GE ORGE H D ORAN COMPANY

.
PRI NTED I N THE U NI T DE STATE S OF AME RI CA

CO NTENT S
P AGE
A
THE B NNE R
ONE LI TT LE COMP ANY

A DAY I N TH E AVE NUE
A S OLDI E R
LI TT LE WHE E LS WI THI N WH EE LS
P I CTU RE S
S I GNALS
S ATUR D AY AF TE RNOON
A H OL I D A Y
S E A-WI N D
P AR I I NG
TH E E ND OF S UMME R
S ACR I FI CE
A JoURNE Y s E ND ’
! VI CHE LTE NHAM
WHAT RE MAI NS
21 36 49 9
TH E S I L ENT L E G I O N
CHAP T E R I
TH E BA N NE R
H E S TNU T AV E NU E i s a long s t re et with a ,
h i gh wa l l concealing the r a i l wa y lines a t

o n e end
and a main road running across the other In it is a .
constan t noise o f w heels car bells distan t footsteps

,
-
,
and newsboys shouting But as all these sounds are a

.
little so f tened by distance they mingle toge ther and

,
form an accompaniment to which every li fe in the

Avenue i s set .
Babies are ushered into the grimy brick houses from

that vague place where new soul s wait with a Swish !
Boom ! Ting ting ! and the high sudden O oh ! o f
-
,
-
an engine w histle over the wall And it i s thus the .
t ired souls go out .
But those who are actually living there do not hear

these sounds at all unless they are ill o r very unhappy , ,
or very tired ; then they feel a little forlorn like people ,
standing alone by th e sea at evening with the drawing

back of the waves in their ears .
N obody knows why the street was originally called

Chestnut Avenue fo r it contains only blackened plane
,
trees and has produced no chestnuts within the memory

9
10 TH E S I LENT LEG IO N
o f man saving only those verbal ones which fat

—
fathers like M r Simpson throw at other fat fathers

.
over garden railings a fter business hours I t i s i n .

,
“
deed believed tha t the famous When i s a door n o t a
,
”
door ? found its last resting place in M r Simpson s -
.
’
back garden H e certainly still employs the j oke abou t

-
.
the cura t e s egg ’

.
O n thi s spring a fternoon o f 1 9 1 7 he s t ood resting

o n hi s spade wiping the swea t from hi s forehead with
,
a trembling hand and wondering for the momen t i f

there were anything wrong with his heart His round .
,
bald head and little trim legs and big stomach curvin g
under a thin waistcoat were strongly illuminated by
the greyish yellowish radiance which i s afternoon sun
,
shine i n Fl o dmou th .
H e had n o idea a t all tha t he was a hero As a .
plain matter o f fact he would have been exceedingly

,
annoye d had any o ne called him any such thing and ,
would have crossed over the road i n future to avoid

that person s soci ety F o r he shared to the full tha t
’
.
strange instinct which forbids the middle class t o blow

its o wn t rumpe t .
Thi s i s all the more strange now because everybo d y

else does it Th e upper class has bl o wmd e l i cate ly
.
for ages through long silver trumpets o f course ; and ,
only yesterday as time goes in history the working

, ,
class suddenly began to blow brass ones so loudly

perhaps in a reaction a fter centuries o f silence that —
the silver trumpets could no longer be heard Bu t .
the class t o which M r Simpson belongs simply does .
not blow .
Many members o f it like Mr Simpson s sister i n , .

’
-
“ ”
law are even ashamed o f being called middle class
,
-
.
TH E B ANNE R 1 1
These are the traitors And when Mrs Horace Simp

. .
s o n went to associate in Bath with a few ancien t O ff
shoots o f the aristocracy who had put into port t h ere

a fter the storms o f li fe sh e suppressed any men t ion o f
,
the Simpsons and trotted o u t constantly an aunt o f her

o wn wh o had married an Archdeacon in the North
R iding o f Yorkshire But beyond withdrawing her

.
capital and further embarrassing M r Simpson s busi .

’
ness sh e soo n ceased to t rouble her relatives in Ches t

,
nu t Avenue .
I t was in the September o f 1 9 1 4tha t her husband ,
Maj or Horace Simpson o f the Territorials had su d ,
d e n l y ceased t o go into F l o d mou th every day with a

little black bag and a flower in his button hole : and -
almos t ne x t day as i t seemed he had died gloriously

, ,
fo r hi s country leading a forlorn hope

, .
Th e news fell s o strangely then o n Ches t nu t Avenue .
Th e people there had hated war and had absolutel y

bel i eved in the impossibility o f it in these enlightened ,
days Th e idea o f taking the li fe o f another man with

.
whom they had no personal quarrel seemed intolerable

to them But a t the news o f Maj or Simpson s dea th
.
’
they began t o steel themselves as i f they had seen a

,
friend struck down beside them .
Then time went on a little and s o many things

happened that he seemed to be quickly o u t o f mind
a s i f he had never lived Mr Simpson migh t be fo r
. .
given fo r thinking as he sometimes did think that

— —
his only brother had died in vain But thi s was n ot .
so ; fo r a wind O f the spirit passed then through the
grey streets o f F l o d mo u th raising dead things to li fe

,
in the o l d city like the rustling wind in the cave o f

E li j ah I t was indeed the almos t forgott en glory O f
.
sacrifi ce that came alive again when the news boy ran -
“
abou t shouting : S p e sh u l E d eeti o n ! L oss o f a well
kno w n F l o d mou th o ffi cer ! ”
But all thi s took place nearly three years ago and ,
since that time M r Simpson s only son Jim had j oined

.
’
up been t rained and fallen N obody knows what

, .
the Simpsons felt about that nobody that is except —

, ,
ing the thousands who have felt the same for they —
kept their heads up and went about as usual .
“
N eighbours said M rs S impson was w onderful .
and as sh e came down the garden path in the sunligh t ,
it might be seen that sh e had perhaps been just a

“ ”
little too wonderful Her hair was whitening very
.
fast and her face had an opaque pallor It was j ust .
at the most trying period o f her physical li fe that sh e

had been called upon to bear a shock and sorrow great
er than any sh e had ever known But s h e smiled at .
her husband as sh e saw him wiping hi s forehead and ,
said ch e e r fu l lv enough
“
H onest sweat ! We shall soon all think we re
’
_
back in the Garden o f E den I ve j ust seen Binny go .

’
by with a spade over hi s shoulder instead o f gol f

” “
clubs . She paused I m glad you took a holiday
.
’
”
thi s a f t ernoon .
Hi s face clouded and he lef t hi s spade in the ground .
“
Yes Th e fresh air seems to suit me I I hope
. .
—
”
t o get more o f it He waited a minute but it was
.
,
no good ; he must t ell her before thei r daughter Bar

bara came home and sh e was expected that evening
,
.
Harriet I shall have to close the business down I

,
.
shan t be going any more There s nothing to do

’
.
’
.
”
I ve only been hanging about playing at it for weeks
’
.
,
M rs S impson wa s silent struggling W i th a feeling

.
,
TH E B ANNE R 1 3
of faintness ; then sh e said in a low t one : Y o u ough t

”
to have told me before Sam ,
.
“
I knew yo u would say s o ; bu t the doc t or ex pressly
warned me a fter you had that las t heart attack t ha t
, ,
you were n o t to have any suspense o r worry I did .
it for the best H arriet I thought you d bear it be t

, .
’
”
ter w hen you had Barbara here to cheer you up .
“ ”
Was that was why you would send for Barbara ?
No not altogether : with no servant and you ill
, , ,
the doctor insis t ed o n my sending fo r her A n d a fter .
”
all who should sh e nurse before her o wn mother ?
,
“
She i s so disappointed though Poor little Bar , .
bara ! Oh I do s o hate bringing her home from the

,
hospital o n my account I d ra ther have done any .

’
thing said M r s Simpson

, . .
“
Well i t can t be helped said M r S impson ad
,
’
, .
,
van c i ng down the walk with his light cork like step ,
-
,
W éd
“
which went s o oddly with his bulky figure .
’
better go in and have supper It will be t ime t o go .
”
to the station directly .
M r s S impson put her hand on hi s arm and looked

.
into his face with her faded blue eyes which had been ,
nearly as bright as Barbara s be fore Jim went ’

.
“
Sam sh e said are you keeping anything else from
, ,
”
me ? I can t bear that you know ’
, .
No Harriet I m not
“ ” ’
, , .
”
Y o u mean it ? O n your honour ?
I do indeed On my honour my dear . He ,

.
paused then added as they entered the house : I

,
don t s e e why you should think Barbara i s s o d i sap

’
pointed ; sh e never wrote a word to tha t e ff ec t in her

”
letters .
1 4 TH E S I LENT LEG IO N
AS i f i t were wha t sh e wr o te It s what she s lef t .

’ ’
unwritten .
“
Oh yo u women ! Always trying to ferre t ou t some
,
thing underneath ! said M r Simpson rubbing hi s

”
.
,
“
fee t energetically on the mat Anyway with you ill .
, ,
and E lsie home from school with a weak back she d ,

’
g o t to come — there was nothing else for it .
A few minutes later they sat at the dining table o n -

,
which E lsie a thin sallow peaked looking gi rl o f

, , ,
-
fi fteen with grea t brown eyes had j us t placed a dish

, , ,
o f curried butter beans .
“ ”
I hope you re n o t tired o f them Father ’
? sh e ,
said. We re told to eat beans They say there i s

“ ’
.
more nouri shmen t t o the square inch in beans than in

”
beef steak
-
.
“ ”
U um ! said M r Simpson drawing a long brea th
-
.
,
.
They smell delicious delicious ! ”
Bu t E lsie noticed that he did not take a large helping ,
himsel f and soon afterwards she ran him to ear th in

,
the scullery with the carbonate o f soda bottle in o n e

hand and a glass of hot water in the o ther .
“ ”
Ha ! sh e sai d bursting ou t upon him suddenly
from the door Y ou think I don t know
. I do ’
. .
”
You ve got indigestion
’
.
“ ”
I have not said M r Simpson emphatically : and
, .
he added trying to work himsel f up into a slight

,
“
temper : Surely I can drink what I lik e in my o wn
”
house .
Bu t he had all unawares waved the grea t banner of

, ,
the middle class I t floated above the scullery sink

-
.
,
”
with its undramatic legend : Bear and Say N othing ,
“
even while he concluded some what i rritably : GO
TH E B ANNE R 15
and get your things o n E lsie We shall be late for the , .
”
train .
So the three o f them w alking very slowly because o f ,
M rs Simpson made their way to wards the rail w ay

.
,
station against a stream o f bright eyed powdered -

, ,
silk stockinged clerks and typists Th e brisk sel f

-
.
reliance o f the girls made thi s stream as vital as a clear

brook running over stones and the dull ai r seemed the ,
fresher for it in spite o f a certain O dour o f cheapish

,
scent .
A S the Simpsons entered the station t hey e n c ou n

t e r e d a tall handsome ra ther heavily built man o f
, ,
about forty three who stopped and spoke to them

-
, .
“ ”
Whither away ? he said with an a ffectation o f
“ ”
gallantry I t s ages since I saw you
.
’
.
“
We a r e meeting Ba r ba r a s aid M r s S i mp s on , . .
H e g r e w i mmediately ale r t and inte r e s te d

”
Oh ! .
I s S h e co ming h o me fo r a holiday ?
”
“
N o G a r r et fo r good s aid M r Si mp s on
,
”
, My , . .
wife h as not been well and we a r e obliged to have

Ba r ba r a at ho me .
”
“
Glad to hea r that Well good night O nly j u s t .
,
—
.
going o u t by t h i s t r ain Doing t h e w o r k o f t h r ee . .
We ar e ab s olutely u nde r s ta ff ed and c r ow ded w ith w o r k

at o u r o ffice Good night M r s Si mp s on So glad to
.
-
, . .
have s een you .
“
Well s aid E l s i e looking afte r h i m i t s mo r e than
, ,
“ ’
I am I hate to s e e that F r ank Ga r r et b u r s ting w ith

.
p r o spe r ity and hi s button hole and all

—
I hate -
.
h i m!
”
“
aid M r s Si mp s on
H ush E l s ie ! ,
”
s . .
Why didn t he enli s t t h en ? de mande d E lsie

’
,
”
Well you know he i s ove r age ; and he is an

,
accountant said M r Simpson They can t be done

’
. .
,
”
without a t thi s time .
“
I don t care : I wish he would go aw ay from F l o d
’
” “
mouth said E lsie vehemently
, H e will only come .
sneaking round Barbara again and sh e has wasted ,
fi ve o r six years o f her li fe over him already .
“
N onsense ! said M rs Simpson
” “
There has never . .
been anything serious between Barbara and Frank

”
G arret.
(She gave him both names as did every
one in F l o d mou th the very newsboys and shop
—
girls saying o n seeing him : There goes Frank “
”
Gar r e t l )
“
O f course there s been nothing serious said E lsie
’
, .
But that wasn t Barbara s faul t It was h e who

’ ’
.
couldn t make up his mind to do without lux uries and

’
l ive in a side street He loved Barbara a little less than

.
”
hi s motor car -
.
“ ”
E lsie ! commanded M rs Simpson I won t have ’
. .
yo u t alk like that about your S ister I am a fraid you .
”
have go t spoilt since she has been away .
“
Well s h e needn t think she i s going to come the
,
’
”
elder sister over me when she does come back mut ,
“
t e re d E lsi e An d I only talk like that because I
.
l ove her . I h a te d to see him flirting round with all

the girls and jus t tossing over Barbara a look when he
felt inclined .
No w it s ha t e She s always riding some word

‘
’ ’ ’
.
” “
to death chuckled M r Simpson
,
Bless me E lsie
. .
, ,
i f a young man ca n t look round him a bit things ’

,
’
have got to a queer pass I m sure Barbara doesn t .
’
bo ther her head about him o n e way o r ano ther .
“
O f course not agreed M r s Simpson a t once
”
,
.
TH E B ANNE R 17
though her whole being had responded to E lsie s tirade ’
with a quivering intensity .
A n d a s they waited little groups o f soldiers went

,
through the station looking already in expression and

,
bearing a race apart though so recently civilians like

,
the rest Th e air had the peculiar deadness common

.
t o terminus stations and the Simpsons d i sj o i nted ’
remarks fell dully o n i t quite di ff erently from words

—
spoken in the fresh outer ai r But the three seemed

, .
gay enough a s they stood there and some acquain tance ,
crossing t o the bookstall spoke o f them .
“
You d wonder the Simpsons w ould seem in such
’
good spirits when you remember how thei r Jim went

out fo r the last t ime j ust about this hour I hap .
pened to be there and I saw him so handsome and

,
—
”
j olly.
“
Yes Perhaps they haven t thought o f i t People
.
’
.
take things di ff erently L et s go and see the soldiers

.
’
But fi ve minutes later when a train ran ou t o f the

,
station with the lads all waving and singing the h ea rts ,
o f the Simpsons seemed ready to burst They strove .
to hide thi s from each other though M r Simpson , .
“
walked away a few steps muttering to himsel f : I
could be ar it all right i f only the lads wouldn t be so ’
”
dam j olly But he very soon came back to say with
.
a breezy air : Nasty draught in thi s station always !

He paused then added with a poor imi tation o f his
,
familiar chuckle that fat chuckle which always

—
seemed t o be enj oying itsel f some where behind his

“
waistcoat before coming forth : A black draugh t eh , ,
”
E lsie ?
“
I ha te j okes when I m tired said E lsie pretend
’
, ,
ing to take some grime o u t o f her eye Oh here s .

,
’
”
Barbara s tra i n at last !
’
S o they all turned to w ard the barrier beyond which ,
a brown haired blue eyed girl came hurrying towards

-
,
-
them She was o f middle height and plumper than

.
s h e would have wished her admira t ion being fo r lean ,
and sinuous ladies But with her dimples showing

.
,
and the clear red in her cheeks sh e seemed lovely t o ,
the little group waiting for her .
“ ”
Mother ! S he said ki ssing the pale face wi th a ,
quick compunct ion for her o wn reluctance in coming

“ ”
home Are you bet ter ? Ought you to have met me
.
?
“ ”
Barbara ! whispered M rs Simpson almost tim .
,
“
i dly I m s o sorry dear I had to send fo r you I
,
’
, , .
didn t wan t them to tell you

’
.
Tears rose in Barbara s eyes It was all very well

’
.
being reluctant to leave the hospital and talking r e ,
b e l l i ou sly to friends in the rest room about living your -
o wn li fe and not being hampered by home tie s— but
at the sight o f her mother s trembling lip tha t all van ’
i sh e d like smoke for the moment .
“
I m glad I came I should never have forgiven
’
.
”
them i f they had not sent fo r me sh e said eagerly ,
.
Upstairs in the long a t tic which ran across the whole

breadth o f the house Barbara unpacked while her ,
young sister sat o n the bed and talked with her When .
it was all finished S he wen t to the window and leaned

,
o u t looking across a grimy plane tree which grew in

,
-
the litt le front garden She was conscious o f hearing .
the sounds o f F l o d mou th because sh e had been a year

away and sh e felt as sh e leaned there watching th e
, ,
S hadowy houses opposite like a person who has liv ed ,

for that silly old Binny next door until they are both
o ld .
N obody could imagine Miss Pelling waiting

Rot !
”
for any man retorted Barbara , .
“ ”
N o said the incorrigible E lsie I daresay not
, , .
But the kind o f waiting female who s h ows the waiting

‘
i s really saying Come on ! And he o ften does ’
.
Neither you nor M iss Pelling are that sort .
“ “
R eally E lsie said Barbara when I was your
, , ,
age
“
You twiddled your thumbs when spoken t o and
”
were respectful t o your elders o f course said E lsie , , .
“
Come E lsie don t be s o cross o n my fi rst nigh t
, ,
’
”
a t home said Barbara , .
“
I m j ust going to be how I like said E lsie
’
Yo u , .
needn t think you can come the elder sister over me

’
”
now you have got back because I shan t have it ,
’
.
Barbara made no remark and the two girls went on ,
S ilently wi th thei r undressing At last the light was .
o u t and they lay side by side o n the two little narro w

,
beds as they had done S ince they were children .
“ ”
Barbie whispered E lsie then stretching o u t a
, ,
“
feverish claw I m s o sorry I ve been such a pig
.
’ ’
o n your firs t night at home— when you have give n up
your nursing and all to come and look after u s I .
believe it was partly because I got so excited abou t

your coming I couldn t sleep last night fo r think ing
.
’
”
about i t
“
Dear o l d E lsie murmured Barbara squeezing , ,
the little hot hand .
E l s ie withdrew it at once and they immedia t ely be

gan to speak o f a blouse which Barbara had brought
TH E B ANNE R 21
fo ra present ; but even thi s S light caress meant a grea t

deal to the undemonstrative sisters .
In the room beneath the gi rls attic M r Simpson lay ’

, .
by hi s wi fe under bedclothes made extra large to

accommodate the hill created by hi s figure ; he obj ect
“
ing as he always said to scrapping for the blanket
, , .
Towards dawn the h i l l c ock heaved and M rs Simpson , .
said so ftly
“ ”
Awake Sam ? ,
”
Ye s .
Been awake a long time ?”
Oh a bi t No t long lied M r S impson

,
”
.
, . .
You re bothering about the business o f cours e

’
, .
It i s hard o n yo u Sam after spending the bes t years

, ,
of your li fe in building it up from no thing .
“ ”
L ots in the same box said Mr Simpson , I . .
don t pretend to like it o f course Bu t there it i s !

’
, .
S ilence fell again and about the time when the fi rs t

,
workman s cars began to run M r and Mrs Simpson

’
. .
at last went to sleep They snored a li ttle with heavy

.
,
middle aged faces pressed into th e ir pillow but the

-
,
banner was abo ve their heads .

CHAPTE R II
O NE L I TT LE C OM P A NY
T HE Simpsons drawing room looked u pon the

’
-
s t ree t and the few women gathered i n it were

,
knitting for the soldiers Th e near sound o f clicking

.
needles made a delicate music to the unnoticed acco m

p an i men t o f t he mingled noises o f F l o dmo u t h outside ,
and i t floated through the O pen window to j oin the

music o f knitters all over E ngland It rose— i t must .
have risen made by those who had su ffered so much

,
— to a heaven o f pity and love .
But the women there did not realise this o f course , ,
and talked o f ordinary things .
Barbara back again M rs Simpson

, . .
Yes We were s o sorry we had to bring her

.
bac
Miss Pelling a tall middle aged Spinster with a
, ,
-
,
large red nose that was perched in the cen t re o f a

charming face with the oddest e ff ect o f incongrui ty ,
pu t down her knitting and said rather dictatorially

I call it silly to bring a girl like Barbara back
from the hospital j us t t o do the work o f a general
”
servant .
“ ”
Who did ? retorted E lsie rudely up in arms a t ,
once against M iss Pelling whom she disliked probably ,
because they were rather akin It was because

mother was ill Besides i t s all very well fo r yo u to
.
,
’
22
ONE L I TTLE COMPAN Y 23
talk with an excellen t servan t o f your o wn to do

,
”
everyt hin g fo r yo u .
Miss Pelling restrained the words spoilt monkey !

from crossing her lips and said to Mrs Simpson : I
, .
only wish my maid were so excellent Oh the times .

,
”
I have longed for L illie back !
“
Yes Yes She was indeed a t reasure said the
. .
,
o thers in a sort o f ecstatic chorus .
Then Barbara said from her place by t he window ,
There s a telegraph boy going up the street ”

’
.
“
Oh ! N ot coming here is he ? ,
And they all pretended to be engrossed in their

knitting but wi th eyes fixed o n the window Young
, .
M rs Du Caine s blouse r o s e and fell quickly though

.
’
sh e went o n knitting j ust the same ; but it was strange
what an atmosphere o f cold suspense could be crea t ed

in a ch eerful Chintz covered room by the sight o f a
-
t elegraph bo y cycling up the street It was really .

, ,
as i f those women s aw Death and Fate s talking visibly

along between the grimy brick houses ready to pause ,
before any one o f them At last the bo y stopped .
j ust outside M rs Wilson s nex t door Mrs Wilson

.
’
—
.
who had a s o n in the trenches j ust then and a girl at a

hospital in France and when the lad aligh ted from
—
his bicycle her heart almost ceased beating It was .
a most terrible grotesque game o f Throw the H and

,
”
kerchief that Fate and Death and the t elegraph boy
and these women were playing at Then the .
yellow envelope was handed to a lean gentleman who

stood outside in th e road and who opened i t with
obvious unconcern .
“
A business telegram fo r M r Binny said Barbara .
, ,
in an e ven tone from her pos t nearest the window .

Followed a slight rustle in the room as the women s ’
bodies relaxed from the rigid a tti tudes they had u n co n

sc i o u sl y taken but nothing more was said concerning
,
the telegraph boy Th e conversation about Mi ss Pel .
ling s L illie was resumed where it had been left o ff

’
.
“
You ll never look o n her like again fo r poli shing
’
”
mahogany furniture .
“
No And s o dependable
. I t was a tragedy fo r .
you when sh e got married to that soldier .
There was a pause then M rs Simpson said : Have , .
”
you heard from her lately ?
No t a word fo r months said Mi ss Pelling

“
.
,
How ungrateful after all you did But you learn —

.
”
no t t o e x pect gratitude said M rs Wilson heavily , . .
She was a woman with flat feet and the rather fl at

footed mind which so o f ten (and so curiously ) goes
with them .
“
Oh sh e behaved well to me I shall always have
, .
”
a kindly feeling towards her said Miss Pelling , .
“
Housekeeping i s indeed a responsibility in these
”
days said Mrs Bellerby a lady with two flu ffy
, .
,
daughter s the only flu ff y girls lef t in the Avenue

— .
I don t know what my poor Blanche w ill do when

’
s h e settles down fo r it will not be o n e servan t in her

,
”
case but hal f a dozen - -
.
“
So Blanche i s to be married directly said Barbara ,
good naturedly ; but the other ladies had already heard

—
all the details O f Blanche s military romance future ’

,
high connections and wedding gi fts from the bride

groom s family and they decline d a further ins tal
’
ment .
“
I hear sai d M rs Wilson sighing that poor
, .
,
O NE L I TTLE COMPAN Y 25
Arthur Garret has been killed in ac tion Frank G ar .
”
ret s cousin you know
’
, .
“
Yes Frank G arre t comes in for a lot o f money
. .
I t seems a shame somehow him saf e a t hom e

and tha t poor young fellow
Oh you can t blame anybody Things happen
,
’
.
like that said M r s Simpson

,
”
Bu t it does seem
. .
hard Th e o n e who died was so handsome and clever

.
”
and well o ff he seemed to have everything t o lose
-
.
“
Yes .
Click ! Click ! went the needles and undern ea th ,
surged a rebellious protest in each woman s heart ’
“ ”
H o w c an Go d let it go o n ? But they said nothing .
Then Miss Pelling remarked .
“ ”
S o Frank G arret will be quite a rich man now ?
And as sh e spoke She glanced aside at Barbara wh o ,
could n o t keep the red flush o u t o f her cheeks and

“
replied h astily t o cover her nervousness : He ll like ’
”
that he has always hated being poor
, .
“ ”
Poor ! With a motor car ! j eered E lsie -
.
Blanche i s to have a R olls R oyce for her own pri -
”
vate u se immediately petrol i s procurable said M rs , .
“
Bellerby snatching her chance It i s to be a present .
from the mother o f t h e bridegroom M rs E lli o tt . .
can t heap enough o n Blanche fo r making the dear

’
b oy s o happy But my girl s have been carefully

.
brought up They are s o simple as dear Hugh E llio tt

.
,
says H e calls Blanche his whi t e flower

. .
“
Then I think s h e might have the grace to keep i t
to herself said E lsi e I f any o ne ever calls me a
, .
“
white flower
“
They never will o l d girl interposed Barbara
, ,
“ ”
laughing More like a sunflower
. She glanced o u t .
of the window again Oh here is your maid G ladys .

,
coming across the street Miss Pelling She i s carry , .
ing a hamper .
” “
Hamper ! said Miss Pelling I m expecting no .
’
hamper Tha t fool i s always making mistakes Wha t

. .
”
o n ear th has sh e done now ?
Barbara flung the window wide and called o u t to the

pale goggle eyed girl o n the path : What i s it
,
-
,
”
G ladys ?
Bu t G ladys t ook no no t ice whatever ; sh e simply
blundered through the door and into the room dumped ,
the hamper down be fore her mistress and said :

“
There ! Now my responsibility i s at an end !
”
“ ”
Bu t wha t i s i t ? cried M iss Pelling .
“
Jus t wha t I don t know said the girl breathing ’
, ,
hard from her haste and the weight o f the basket .
I only know I aren t going to be in the house alon e ’
with it It s heavy It made a noise inside I t may

.
’
. .
have something to do with G ermans for all we can tell .
Tha t o l d mat mender had a queer look to me though

-
,
you said he was all right and let him S it in the hall t o
mend the ma t Very likely he was a spy Anyway
. .
,
somebody brought the hamper who knew you ; fo r

”
there s Miss Pelling o n i t as plain as li fe
’
, .
“ ”
Who brought it ? asked that lady .
Nobody brough t it said G ladys round eyed and

”
, ,
-
“
solemn faced I t j ust come Once I went to the
. .
door and i t wasn t there next time I wen t and

’
”
i t was And something in it made a sort o f noise
. .
Mrs Wilson who had been bending over the lid

.
, ,
drew has t ily back .
“ ”
Yo u — yo u don t mean a t icking noise ?
’
N no No I shouldn t call it a tick exac tly

’
- .
.
,
And this question so thrillingly pre occupied all the -
rest that they refrained from rebuke and only leaned

Closer .
“
Nothing said Mi ss Pelling , I know no thing o f .
i t I have no thing t o do with it

. .
“
It s incredible that any M other
’
began M r s . .
Wilson who invariably said that word with a capital

,
M and spoke as it were for all mat ernity

, , , .
“ ” “
Oh ! squealed little Mrs Du Caine H e re s a . .
’
letter Here s a letter pinned t o its frock !

. .
’
Mi ss Pelling stretched ou t her hand glanced a t th e ,
superscription and flushed crimson with surpri se .
“ ”
L illie s handwri t ing ! Then tearing t he le t ter open
’
, ,
sh e read it through her face undergoing violen t and ,
unnatural changes like the star face in a cinema . .
“ ”
S o sh e gasped at last looking up from her l e tte r
, ,
“
in a sort O f desperation s o thi s i s the sor t o f world ,
”
we live in now i s it ? She paused a momen t then
, ,
“
broke forth still more wildly : It s n o t a world It s ’
.
’
a bear garden a bear garden balancing o n an

earthquake L isten to this . and sh e be gan t o .
read aloud in a t rembling voice
P E LL I N G
D EA R M I ss ,
“
When I left to be married you said i f there ,
was any thing in the world you could do for me yo u ,
would I regret to have to inform you that my mar

.
r i age turn ed ou t a bigamy through no fault o f mine ,
but owing t o him having ano ther wi fe else w here .
But he i s dead and gone at the Front now and I be ar ,
no malice poor fellow for it was a lark while i t lasted

, ,
.
Only I have t o fi nd a good home for baby un ti l I ge t

a place which can support him properly I will then .
send address .
“
I would have called in person but did no t care to ,
come in contact with your new girl under the circum

stances n o r yet with people in the street as I used
,
to be friendly w ith though I have nothing to be

,
ashamed o f I t was n o t me that did the bigamy o f

.
,
course .
“
I know you are not much o f a o n e for babies but ,
I know I can tru s t you to trea t my boy righ t Thank —
ing you in anticipation yours sincerely , ,
LI LL I E NE LS O N (for a short time Brooke )

“
.
P S I don t hold with soo thing syrup I only

. .
—
’
.
gave it thi s once as a convenience .
”
Well ! ga sped the listeners Did you ever ! Oh .
,
”
wha t are things coming t o ?
“
H o w horribly unprincipled ! added M r s Bellerby
”
.
,
“ ”
over emphasizing her h s lest sh e should lose them ’
as sh e did when they came in di fficult places .
“
How o d d that we should have been speaking o f
L illie Bu t things constantly happen s o said Mrs
.
,
”
.
Wilson .
“ ”
How c ou l d sh e ? said Barbara crooning over the ,
“
unconscious intruder in Mrs Du Caine s arms Th e
’
. .
lamb — the little sweet

“ ”
O f course pronounced M rs Wilson wi th finali ty
, .
,
you will send the child to a Home M iss Pelling A ,

.
mother finds the bringing up o f a baby a trying and

di fficult task Y ou could not possibly manage
. .
No w thi s had also been M iss Felling s idea but Mrs ’

, .
Wilson s t one instantly stirred up a feeling o f OppO

’
o
siti on. A spins ter was not necessarily a born fool .

I don t know yet wha t I shall do

’
said I , sh e .
“
s h all in any case keep the child for the night and slee p
”
o n thi s matter Then sh e looked sharply into the
.
corner whence an unmistakable giggle had proceed e d :

“
Well G ladys what i s i t now ?
, ,
On y o n y you t alking abou t s l eepi ng— wi th

’ ’
a fresh baby in the house that s been asleep all day ’

.
Y o u don t know
’
.
“
Then I shall have t o borro w the ben efi t o f your
experience said Mi ss Pelling controlling hersel f fo r
, , ,
a fter all sh e was dependen t o n G ladys in thi s crisi s .
“ ”
Do you know anyt hing abou t babies ?
“ ” “
I do said G ladys simply
, I m o ne o f nin e I .
’
.
hate em ’
.
“
Never mind interposed Mrs Simpson hastily
, .
,
the poor little mi t e i s very welcome t o stay the night

”
here Anyway his father died in France for u s
.
, .
Mrs Simpson was rather a silent woman and her

.
,
presence was not much noticed in a room ; only people

knew when sh e wen t tha t the place was less full o f
warmth and kindness .
Perhaps G ladys may have become conscious o f thi s

moral sunshine for sh e stepped forward then and said
,
“
good naturedly ; I shouldn t behave badly t o the
-
’
bairn i f that s what you think And i f Miss Pelling

,
’
.
wan t s him looked after fo r a day o r two I ll d o i t I ,

’
.
S hould be ashamed not t o when he s a soldier s baby ,

’ ’
that s been killed

’
And with tha t sh e t ook the cry
.
ing child from M r s Du Caine with an accustomed .
arm which reassured even that anxious little mother .
“ ”
How funny ! said Barbara touching the so ft li t ,
“ ”
tle fingers We don t even know his name
.
’
.
“
We s h all have to have him christened i f h e s t op s
O NE L I TTLE COMPAN Y 3 1
long enough ; but perhaps he has been already N ever .
mind twice will only make him twice as holy sai d

, ,
E lsie staring at the baby o u t o f her great dark eyes

, .
“
I know L et s call him Kitchener That 11 give him
.
’
.
”
such a good start .
“ ”
A little di srespectful to the dead don t yo u think ? ,
’
said M r s Bellerby. I always fancy .

“
Then across M rs B e lle rby s refined tentative ac

’
.
,
“
cents came Gl adys s broad toned indignant : Who s ’
-
,
’
”
dead ? No t Kitchener ! H e s as alive as you o r me ’
.
“ ”
G ladys ! said Miss Pelling .
I don t care H e i s A sergeant I walked o u t

’
. .
with told me so All the soldiers know it You bet

. .
,
”
the G ermans weren t going to get Kitchener sai d ’
G ladys .
“
But he was drowned yo u know said Mrs Simp , , .
s on gently .
“ ”
Who s aw him drowned ? demanded G ladys
through the baby s crying No Kitchener s alive ’
. .
’
right enough It ll all come o u t a fter the war you ll

.
’
,
’
”
see. She paused snatched up a bottle from the bas ,
“ ”
ket exclaiming abruptly : Th e poor kid s hungry
,
’
,
and was away across the road as suddenly as s h e had

come .
To the women left behind the F l o d mou th noi ses

floated in t hrough the window j ust as usual ; but
there was really a sound o f beating wings of
pipes playing across untrodden spaces for they

had j ust been present at that strange and wonderful
thing the birt h o f a legend S o arose the great myth s
, .
o f the past and s o but for counter influences w ould

, , ,
the clouds o f the demi gods gather round the figure o f -
“
Kitchener to day In the hearts o f the common peo
-
.
ple where all legends are conceived this o n e had al

ready grown strong .
M rs Bellerby however was fully occupied with

.
, ,
the business o f the moment and S h e said to M iss Pell ,
ing genuinely anxious to gu ard her neighbour from a

,
“
serious mistake Y ou really ought not to encourage
!
such conduct as L illie s She has behaved with brazen ’

.
”
faced e ff rontery .
S o Mi ss Pelling also thought bu t again her imper ,
fe c t nature j ibbed at guidance .
“
L illie may be brazen and irresponsible as you say , ,
but a fter all she has h ad a child She s better than

, .
’
those war brides who are simply o u t for a lark

-
.
Wives ! I call em Week E nders : that s what I call

’
-
’
”
’
em . And sh e unconsciously fixed such a stern eye
o n Mrs Du Caine tha t the poor little lady faltered
.
“
o u t with a nervous giggle : I ve had two in t wo years ’
.
”
You can t want more than tha t can you ?
’
,
And very soon they all rolled up their kni tting s ay ,
ing o n the way home how dreadfully spoilt that E l s ie

S impson was and how silly M iss Pelling had always
,
been about her o ld servant and how much older Bar ,
bara looked with nursing But even as they spoke .
they were planning in thei r minds wha t they could

send o r do to help Miss Pelling ; fo r n o w a days in - -
the Avenue kindness i s very near the surface ready ,
at any moment to well up and cover any bitter words

with a flood o f kind deeds .
Thus gradually t he slow twilight fell

, ,
on Ches tn ut
Avenue After supper the Simpsons s at
. reading by
the fir e— for it i s cold in the S pring in F l od mou th
and Barbara had j us t glanced a t th e clock sayin g i t ,
was time for bed when a n e w sound and terrible ,
mingled with the accustomed F l o d mou th no rses ; the

so u nd which tells that death i s hovering over a multi
tude o f una r med and innocent people B efore the .
warning bu zz er had ceased M r Simpson was strug ,

.
gling into hi s overcoat and fixing on hi s special con

stable s badge ’
.
“ ”
G ood night ! he said -
E xpect me when you s ee .
me .
But as he turned to speak hastily over hi s shoulder ,
he noticed the ghastly pallor o f hi s wi fe s face She ’

.
w as not actually a fraid o f death but the sudden sound ,
o f the buzzer had startled her and upset her weak
heart and sh e only kept hersel f from fainting by force

,
o f sheer will ; her heart pounded against her ribs then ,
seemed to cease then pounded o n again ,

.
“
I m not a fraid Y o u musu t think I m a fraid sh e
’
.
’ ’
murmured with blue lips and tried to smile , .
“
Your mother s ill girls Look a fter her said
’
, .
,
M r Simpson and he had to run o u t o f the house

. .
But as he trotted down the avenue his forehead was

dark red He had never hated the Ge rmans when Jim
.
w as killed o r when hi s business was ruined but n o w

, ,
the E vil Thing which has settled itself in the centre

o f the Germ an nation and lies there spawning by the
million had cast o n e O f its filthy o ffspring in t o Mr .
Simpson s clean and decent soul He trembled wi th

’
.
hate as he hurried along to meet M r Binny . .
“
We ll stick it o u t i f we starve We ll stick i t o u t
’
.
’
i f we die in heaps We must beat em W e must .

’
.
”
beat em he muttered trotting along wi th h i s j olly
’
, , ,
round face that was meant to be so kind all con

gested and hi s eyes glaring through hi s spec tacles
, .
Then he looked up and stood still Th e faint red .

,
glare which i s usually over a city a fter dark had given

place to a pageant such as M r Simpson had never seen .
be fore G reat searchlights swept across the deep blue

.
plain o f the S ky where all the stars were shining bright ,
below lay the darkened streets and among the stars , , ,
as i t seemed was a pale golden thing like a penci l

,
-
that the god o f battles had cast down after signing

the doom o f the world Jus t so it looked hovering .
,
over F l o d mo u th with the splendour o f all the search

,
lights turned upon it .
He s t ared up rooted t o the ground and the zeppelin

, ,
seemed t o waver uncertainly as i f the men steering it ,
were blinded by the swords o f light Then i t began .
t o sail away growing less and less against the wonder

,
ful blue and silver o f the night M r Simpson heard . .
a great shout go u p the shout o f deliverance and he

—
,
began t o run again waving hi s cap with hi s bald head

, ,
ex posed t o the nigh t breeze .
m
It was abou t two o clock in the morning when he ’
and Mr Binny came o ff duty They tra ped wearily

. .
,
M r Binny tall and lean bending towards his short

.
, , ,
stou t companion But the excitement O f the hours

.
j ust past kep t them aler t in spite o f their fatigue and ,
they wer e even more ardent than usual in the pursuit

o f lighted windo w s They scanned with a keen eye
.
,
a s they conversed the houses o n either sid e o f the

,
Avenue .
“
I had a good deal o f bo ther with Miss Pelling
” “
las t week observed Mr Simpson
,
She i s tiresome . .
”
abou t her ligh t s Bless me ! There sh e i s again !
.
Well she s very friendly with my family for that

,
’
matter said M r Simpson rather testily

, . .
“
So she i s So sh e i s Well duty comes first o f
. .
, ,
” “ ”
course . H e sighed deeply L et s shout together ’
.
Th e t wo gentlemen there fore paused a moment then ,
li fted up thei r voices in unison

“ ”
Put o u t that ligh t !
Still no response though the empty street echoed
,
and heads began to peer from upper window s all along

the Avenue .
At thi s the blood o f M r Simpson and M r Binny . .

,
already a little heated by past events began to be ,

“
de fi nitely up I f she doesn t come I ll hammer the
.
’
,
’
door dow n sai d M r Simpson between clenched teeth

, . .
“ ”
Wait ! I ll use my stick said M r Binny ; and
’
, .
with a very fierce expression indeed he poised hi s ,
heavy walking stick fo r a blow ; when suddenly from

-
,
within the door burst open and the stick fell with an
, ,
“ ”
unpleasant Thud ! o n something soft A second .
later M r Simpson M r Binny and M iss Pelling were

.
, .
in a con fused heap among the grimy daff odils at the

bottom o f the steps .
For o n e brie f and horrible moment M r Binny .
believed that he had committed murder and M r ,

.
Simpson that he had been accessory to the deed .
Then Mi ss Pelling stirred and said feebly

I i I hadn t happened to have a Teddy Bear in my
“ ’
arm s I believe you w ould have killed me I was taking .
it up to amuse him in case he awakened again Oh .

,
”
dear ! Oh dear ! ,
A fter a dazed moment o r two M r Simpson and .
M r Binny began a very little to recover themselves

.
,
and at the back o f Mr Simpson s brain the folly o f .

’
trying to begu ile a baby o f t w o months with a Teddy

Bear became dimly apparent It was j ust like her f .
—
he vaguely felt for he w as not an admirer o f M iss

—
Pelling : then he s at up and co mmon humanity caused

,
him to grab hold o f the lady in the darkness As soon .
a s he found breath to articulate he stammered ou t : ,

“ ”
I hope nothing i s broken .
“
N o U nless perhaps the Teddy Bear s squeaker
.
’
.
”
It made a most extraordinary sound faltered Miss ,
Pelling also sitting up among the crushed daffodils

, .
M r Binny o n the other side being more over

.
,
whelmed t ook more time to recover himsel f But at

, .
la st he too sat up and touched Mi ss P e ll i ng s dressing ’
gown with a gingerly right hand I I sincerely .

—
trust you are not seriously hurt ? May I assis t yo u

”
to rise ? he said shakily .
“ ”
N 0 thank you said Miss Pelling ; and sh e c o n
, ,
“
cluded defiantly : I m not going to put o u t that ligh t
’
”
fo r anybody .
Which proved once more how slight was her knowl

edge o f the male s ex ; for M r Simpson and M r Binny . .
had been ready to overlook a display of fireworks o n

her part i f she h ad said nothing about them No w .
they w ere o n their mettle again .
“
I m sorry ; but we must insi st said M r Simpson
’
, .
,
“
still panting slightly Th e safety o f the city
.
“
I ll die before I have that child waked up again
’
interrupted Miss Pelling rising unsteadily , .
“
Only began M r Simpson but even in h i s .
,
“ ”
intense i rritation he swallowed the words only pity ,
“
and substituted Only diffi culty i s yo u wouldn t die ,
’
alone And you mus t consider the safety o f your

.
neighbours .
We are really obliged added M r Binny thus .

,
embarrassingly placed between gallan t ry and du ty .
Both comrades however were equally unprepared , ,
fo r the sudden retreat up the steps which left them

planted there and they stood blankly lis tening as
,
“
Miss Pelling called through a crack o f the door : I
don t care ! I don t care ! I f I put the light ou t he ll
’ ’
,
’
wake up He did before You may take me to pri son

. .
i f you like but I won t wake that child up now he s

,
’ ’
”
once o ff not fo r every Special Constable in E ngland !
,
Th e door S hut M r Simpson and M r Binny were . . .
le ft outside They were conscious o f several di

.
sh e v e ll e d heads peering through the darkness at them
from windows round about though nothing could be ,
seen They turned to each other asking mutely wha t

.
,
“ ”
was t o be done n ext After all said M r Binny .
, .
,
“
sh e made nothing o f an exceedingly unpleasant fall .
”
Many women would have been in hysterics .
“
Y es : and I think there s no fur ther danger t o be
’
anticipated to night said M r Simpson -

, . .
Wi th o n e consent they t urned away walked down ,
the pa t h and o u t o f the g ate which they closed very ,
so ftly as i f with an instinctive desire to conceal even

,
from themselves the fact that they h ad gone .
“
Come in for a moment and have a drop o f whisky ,
“
said M r Binny opening the next gate
.
,
I expect you .
”
feel a bit shaken and your people are in bed ,
.
“
Well I m n o t t aking any during the w ar bu t on
,
’
,
this occasion murmured M r Simpson feeling .

,
his brui ses .
So a few minu tes la t er they sat o n either side o f the

fi re which M r Binny s capable housekeep e r had left
.
’
banked up each with a glass o f pale yellow liquid in

,
ONE L I TTLE COMPAN Y 39
hi s right hand and a pipe in hi s mouth They were .
both middle aged men M r Binny much overworked

- —
.
during the day and they had both been doing grat u i
—
tous labour fo r which no o n e prai sed and many p e ople

abused them But at the present momen t li fe to ok
.
o n a comparatively rosy hue For Mr Simpson was . .
abstemious at all times and had been a teetotaller for

a year and he became conscious o f a pleasant glow
,
:
creeping th rough hi s veins and o f a deeper friendshi p

for Mr Binny than he had hi therto experienced ; while
.
M r Binny had observed much the same discipline since

.
the firs t year o f the war and he too excited by th e

, , ,
even t s o f the evening and upset in two senses by th e

'
encoun ter with M iss Pelling was feeling very c o n fi ,
d e n t i al ly disposed t owards M r Simpson I t was alto . .
gether o ne o f those hours in which the carefully

guarded reticence o f a li fetime may be broken through ,
to the amazement o f both part ies next morning .
”
Simpson said M r Binny his long angular limbs
, .
,
easily disposed in a chair especially made for them ,

“
you would almost wonder that Miss Pelling had
never married She i s a very uncommon woman
. .
“ ”
Oh very said M r Simpson a t peace wi th all
, , .
,
mankind .
But thi s was no t enough for M r Binny He lowered . .
hi s voice .
“
G ood looking t oo but fo r
-
, delicacy somehow
forbade words and he t ouched hi s nose with his pipe
,
stem .
“
Ye s Pi ty tha t : been so ever since I can remember
.
her.
Pu ff ! Pu ff ! wen t th e pipes E ach t ook ano ther s ip

. .
I sometimes wonder said M r Binny i f all tha t , .

,
”
o n e hears about married li fe i s t rue .
M r Simpson started a little He was very sleepy

. .
“
and had begun t o nod in his chai r E h ! Oh depends .
,
”
what you ve heard he said rousing himsel f t o take
’
, ,
a proper interest in hi s host s conversation ’

.
“
Well ! M r Binny flushed slightly took anoth er
”
.
,
“
S ip and said with assumed carelessness : I ve heard ’
that w hen a man has been married s ix months he

doesn t notice in the least what his wi fe looks like All
’
.
the same whe ther she s beauti ful o r as plain as a ’
,
”
pikesta ff .
“ ”
Um M r S impson meditated rather ha z ily
, . I .
s hould s ay i t s thi s way ; you don t notice i f sh e looks

’ ’
”
a l l right but you do i f s h e doesn t
’
.
“ ”
Anything queer about her you mean ? ,
Yes .
They smoked again for a few minutes in silence It .
was most com fortable a fter the bleak night ou t side .
Then M r Binny started again. .
“
I have known Mi ss Pelling a very long time .
”
Oh yes E xcellen t woman ! Puff Pu ff ! wen t
, .
,
M r Simpson
. .
”
“
Simpson said M r Binny leaning forward wi th
, .
,
such sudden intensity that M r Simpson also s at up .
straight with a j erk and became almost wide awake .
“
I have had it in my mind to propose to her since I
was thirty and S h e about twenty seven She has a -
.
delightful way o f talking E ver so many times in .
the dark when w e have talked over the garden wall I

”
have nearly done it .
”
“
Why didn t yo u then said M r Simpson
? ’
. .
But M r Binny did not answer tha t question directly

. .
'
He t ook another S ip and craned his long neck s till

fu r ther across the hearth towards his friend .
“ ” “
Simpson he said you are the fi rst person I
, ,
have ever talked to like this But as o n e man to .
a nother i s it necessary to kiss your wi fe every

d ay when you are both middle aged o r would j ust -
,
”
occasionally do ?
“
Sure I don t kno w grunted M r Simpson n o n
’
, .
,
“
committal Di ff eren t people di ff erent ways I
.
, ,
expect .
You re na turally surprised at such a question

’
,
said M r Binny hastily more alert than M r Simpson

.
, .
“
had ever seen him But I don t know any one else
.
’
with whom I could discuss An d it would be so .
terrible i f I go t her and then I really couldn t ’

.
“
He paused Simpson it seems a cruel thing to s ay
.
, ,
but I love that woman and yet I couldn t ki ss her ’

.
I simply can t get over her nose ’

He paused again .
,
“
then broke forth : I know it sounds awful I kno w .
a woman could take a man having a far worse physica l

”
de fect than that without minding a bit How i s it ? .
M r Simpson flogged his quiescent mind into activity

. .
H e wanted to console Binny Binny was a good chap . .
“ ” “
I know he said at last , Women have been .
obliged to marry men they didn t want to for ages ’
bu t men have been freer to choose They have kept .
more o f their instinct for natural selection that s wh y —

’
yo u can t stand M iss Felling s nose You re i nst i nc

’ ’ ’
~
.
t i ve l y avoiding a future generation with the same

”
noses .
“ ”
Ah ! Where did you read that
’
? said M r Binny .
doub t fully He rose and o ff ered to fill up hi s friend s

.
’
“
g lass
. Well there it i s Simpson I li ke her better
, , .
42 TH E S I LENT L EG IO N
than any other woman and yet I can t ask her to marry ,
’
”
me And now we re both getting old
.
’
.
M r Simpson shook his head declining more whisky

.
, ,
and made a sympathetic noise in his throa t As h e .
rose he again sought words o f consolation .
“ ”
N ever mind Binny he said glancing at the deep , , ,
“
arm chair-
Anyway a bachelor can g o to bed j ust
.
,
wha t time he likes and knock his pipe o u t on the

mantelpiece He paused and strove for a final con
.
“ ”
solation Perhaps sh e wouldn t have yo u now he
.
’
,
concluded help fully .
“
NO No Most probably no t agreed M r Binny
. .
, .
a t once but he rubbed hi s chin and seemed imperfectly

,
com forted .
Then the t wo friends wen t t o the fron t door .
“ ”
I can rely o n your discretion o f course remarked , ,
the host already as the chill ai r blew in upon him

, , ,
“
beginning t o wonder a t his o wn expansiveness Per .
haps I exaggerated in what I said to you abou t Miss

Pelling A bachelor naturally speculates o n such su b
.
j e c t s sometimes wi thout meaning anything G o o d .
”
night .
“
G ood night said M r Simpson -
, . .
As he trudged across the road a chill dawn wind

'
was already blowing up from the river F l o d L ittle .
Kitchener had awakened and his long wail echoed ,
the O oh ! o f the engine whistle at the end o f the

-
Avenue Mr Simpson thought what a queer world

. .
thi s w as as he inser t ed hi s latch key in t o the lock o f

,
-
hi s o wn fron t door .
4
take in the details o f the fi ghting o n the Western

front .
Bu t both exultation and shame were wholly u nco n

scious M r Simpson was n o t aware he had indulged
. .
in either as he drank his tea and munched hi s toast ,
o r tha t a million men and women in E urope had
experienced the same o n that j ocund morning .
Th e window was open and two maidservants stood

outside in the sunshine Gladys and a friend —
.
“ ”
Heard about ou r baby ? He ! He ! said G ladys .
Yes R um thing a baby a t your house He !

. .
”
He ! and they giggled together .
“
Well continue d G ladys , i t won t be a t ou r ,
’
house long : tha t s o n e blessing : I ain t so soft as I

’ ’
”
look .
“ ”
Why wha t did you do ?
, G ive in you r notice ?
No I didn t d o nothing That s just it
“ ”
. G ladys
’
.
’
paused No t tha t I would have let the poor little

.
bai rn cry to harm i t sel f o f course Bu t we did have ,

.
a night o f it I can tell you And sh e wa s o ff by eight

, .
o clock this morning to make arrangemen t s with M rs

’
.
Hobby the porter s wi fe that lost her baby in January

,
’
, .
She s paying a good lot but it ll be a fi ne thing for M rs

’
,
’
.
Hobby and she d ha pawned her petticoat I do

,
’ ’
,
”
believe be fore she d go through another such night
,
’
.
Not tha t I should have minded

“
She paused again .
giving in my notice .
“ ”
Wha t fo r Going in t o munitions
? ?
No I can t ; I ve a bad chest

”
,
She paused and
’ ’
.
“
brough t for th vehemently : N o i t s this rationing ,
’
business I can t stick— weighing and watching every

’
mouth ful you eat A poor girl must eat i f she s t o d o .

’
her work .
A D AY I N TH E AVEN U E 45
Yes This rat i o n i n g s only ano ther name for
.
’
meanness It s all got up by the rich to do the poor

.
’
folks in some way .
They looked up and do w n the stree t their young ,
faces dull and suspicious for a moment Then they .
smiled at each other .
“
Well so long G lad you ve got rid o f the kid
, .
’
,
though I m sorry for it Th e mother must be a rum

’
.
$ ”
uu .
“
It s Miss Felling s L illie H e r that was such a
’ ’
.
” “
pattern o f a servant sai d G ladys They think I , .
don t know but I couldn t help hearing They seem

’
,
’
.
t o fancy servants hasn t got ears

’
.
“
You re ri ght I m sick o f being a servant E very
’
.
’
.
body looks do w n on yo u and you ve no freedom My ’

.
youngest sister i s in an o ffice and look a t her

m
.
,
“ ”
Well I ust be getting o n
, .
They parted .
M r Simpson rose from the table as the postman

.
passed the w indow and went o u t to receive the le tters ,
at the gate A t the furthe r end o f the Avenue stood

.
little M rs Du Caine wi th o n e baby holding her han d

.
,
and the Other in her arms M rs Wilson pretended . .
to weed the fron t garden not desiring the neigh ,
bours t o s e e that She was watching openly It was .
the same at nearly every house in the Avenue and ,
in every street in F l o d mou th You could almost .
hear among the chorus o f city noises the faint

, ,
thud ! thud ! o f women s hearts beating as they ’
waited .
But in the Simpsons house that sort o f wai t ing was ’
n o w over ; and M r Simpson took hi s batch casually .

,
4
delivering a letter to Barbara and saying as he wen t ,

“ ”
in : Here s a love letter for you Barbara
’
-
, .
Don t be so silly Father ! More likely a bill

’
, ,
said Barbara All the same sh e flushed as she looked

.
,
at the handwriting and slipped the letter in t o the

,
pocke t o f her overall .
Some t ime however had t o elapse be fore sh e opened

, ,
it but a t length in the cool solitude o f the bathroom

,
when s h e was poli shing brass taps the opportunity ,
arrived and she sat on the bath edge to peruse the

,
following epistle
DE A R M I ss B A R BA RA ,
I am s o very glad t o hear you hav e come

back I f I can possibly get away I will call early thi s
.
a fternoon o n the chance o f finding you in I t seems .
such ages since I had a talk with you alone .
“
Yours very sincerely ,
“
F R A N K R GA RRE T . .
It was not impassioned but Barbara s face ben t over

,
’
,
it in the diluted light which fell through the thick

window was awed and wide eyed ; and E lsie peering
,
-
,
in a t the door as sh e passed silently o n the carpet

outside was moved to stand still and call ou t
,
“
G oodness ! Wha t a subj ect for a Christm as Annual
‘ ‘
Supplemen t entitled Hi s L e tt er o r Shall I ; o r shall
, ,
’
I not ? ’
Barbara s tar ted and folded up the le tter .
“ ”
Don t be an idiot ! she said sharply
’
I do wi sh .
you would mind your o wn business It s horrid the .

’
way you poke and pry in t o everything .
E lsie laughed shrilly but good naturedly -

.
A D AY I N TH E AV ENUE 47
Come Barbie she said don t get shirty because
, , ,
’
I interrupted you reading a note from Frank G arret .
I only saw the envelope but I know j ust what s inside ; ,

’
tepid pleasure in Miss Barbara s return and a promise ’
to come and see her soon Bah ! I could show him .
how ! He s what I call the Cautious Kipper and

’
,
you re the Willing Winkle

’
She laughed once more .
,
“
then added in a di fferent tone : I suppose he wants
to take you o n again now you are o n the spot Don t .
’
d o it Barbie o ld girl I f it was me I d s e e him j olly ’

.
, ,
”
hemmed first .
“
I don t know what you mean said Barbara You
’
, .
read far too many novel s and get your head filled with
nonsense Please go and get your milk ; it i s eleven
.
”
O clock
’
.
But though Barbara could dismiss her sister with

d ignity sh e felt even less disposed than before to tell
,
the household that Frank G arret might be coming to

call She could bear the suspense o f that waiting
.
hersel f but n o t i f it were shared by a j eering E lsie and

,
a mother anxious lest sh e should be hurt o r d i sap

pointed One was as bad as the other in her present
.
frame o f mind and She worked hersel f up into a

,
fever o f expectation which caused her literall y to feel

,
sick by the time sh e had successfully man oeuvred

E lsie upstairs M r s Simpson o n to the back room
, .
-
so fa and Mr Simpson unwillingly into the back

, .
— —
garden .
At las t sh e stood alone by the kitchen table i roning ,
pocket handkerchiefs Th e house was very still ; E lsie .
lay on her bed resting her weak back and devouring

books as usual while M r s Simpson had fallen asleep
, .
a f t er her disturbed night .

4
Then a bell sounded faintly in the kitchen and

Barbara glanced at the trembling indicator o n the wall
as i f it were a writing o f Fate But her feet seemed .
weighted with lead as sh e softly opened the kitchen

door and went down the passage She wanted to see .
him and yet S he wanted to run away That unde r .
lined alone seemed to be alive before her Now th a t

“
.
the moment was perhaps coming o f which sh e had ,
dreamed with such sh y rapture since she was eighteen ,
s h e felt unable to face it Her eyes were dila ted and

.
her hand shook as sh e opened the door .
“ ”
Oh ! I s it you ? Will you come in ? sh e said
nervously s carcely looking a t him

, .
“ ”
You go t my lett er all righ t then ? ,
Oh yes .
He stood smiling a t her from hi s great heigh t wi th

hi s h andsome face bent towards her and his fine dark ,
eyes looking into her blue ones Th e faint lines which .
the vague girlish passions he had roused and lef t

unsatisfied had traced round her fresh mouth were
vi sible in the early a fternoon light He had a momen t s .
’
Then sh e flushed
“
though t tha t sh e had gone o ff .
under hi s gaze and he though t her prett ier than he had

remembered .
“
L et us go in t o the garden he said wi th sudden ,
“
ardour . We shall be by ourselves there I wan t t o .
”
see yo u alone .
She glanced at him hesitating .
“
I f you really But Father i s in the garden
. .
Oh that won t do then

,
’
He paused touching her
.
,
“
sleeve and s miling very sure o f himsel f
,
I say .
,
Barbara surely there s some place in the house ?

,
’
”
Think a bi t .
9
She looked up at him her eyes asking questions ,
without her kno w ledge Was it true what E l s ie had

.
said ? O r perhaps he was really going to propose t o

her j ust because he had had his fling and wanted to
settle down ? She turned slowly away from the door .
“
Well I m in the kitchen ironing h andkerchie fs
’
.
”
Only it s awfully h o t in there
’
.
H e closed the front door so ftly and pressed her arm

as they went down the passage She withdrew a little .
and he pressed nearer seeing in her move ment the ,
innocent freshness which had always appealed to him

in her.
“ ”
Hush ! he whispered more for the sake o f wh i s ,
pering into her pretty ear under the brown wave o f

Tread quie t ly
“
shining hai r than anything el s e .
,
Barbara I don t want them to hear

.
’
.
“
They ll only think you are Fa ther s collars from ’
’
the wash said Barbara soberly

, .
She was s t ill in tha t o dd frame o f mind Th e .
moment towards which all her girl s dreams had ’
tended was almost here ; Frank was going t o tell

her he loved her ; and ye t sh e did n o t feel as i f the
heave n s were Opening Suddenly o n the threshold
.
,
o f the kitchen sh e tu rned round

“
NO Don t le t ’
. .
,
us go in there It i s t oo h o t
. We ll go into the .
’
”
drawing room -
.
He pu t hi s arm tigh tly round her and sai d ra ther

“
breathlessly : I f you won t come I ll make yo u Shall ’ ’
.
”
I S h all I
? ?
She could feel his brea th on her cheek .
“
I can t move i f you hold me like tha t— le t
’
”
me go .
They stood facing each other now in the warm

kitchen with the door closed He pu t hi s arm about .
her again touching her elbow gently

, .
“
Did I knock it against the door post ? I wouldn t —
’
”
hurt you for the world girlie , .
She shook her head without speaking .
“ ”
Yo u like it he murmured very low , Whi sper .
,
”
Barbara ; did you like it ?
She broke a w ay from him again .
“ ”
Oh I don t know ! I don t know ! sh e said hal f
,
’ ’
crying .
“ ”
Silly little girl ! Wha t i s there to cry about ? he
“ ”
said . Come here ! He caught her to him and held
her fast looking down into her upturned face Then
, .
he suddenly ben t hi s head and kissed her passionately

o n the lips .
“
Oh ! let me go sh e murmured fain tly I don t, .
’
” “ ”
like i t She paused
. I hate it ! .
“
Sweetest you ll get over that It s be cause I am
,
’
.
’
the first I ve upset you Bu t I wouldn t have yo u

.
’
.
’
”
o therwise for the world he said , .
She pushed him away and sat down by the i roning

board leaning her forehead o n her hands
, .
“
No no It s not that Frank I don t kno w wha t
— .
’
, .
’
”
it i s . She li fted her head and looked at him with
dishevelled hair and those faint lines round her mouth
deepened ; her blue eyes were black with the intensity
o f her emotion She had the air o f some di straugh t
.
and tragic woman who sees her dearest treasure

pu tting o u t from the shore and i s powerless t o utter
the word that would hold it b ack I only kno w tha t .
i f I really loved you I S houldn t have to get used to ,

’
”
you ki ssing me I should like i t n o w . .
“
But Barbara— i t seems a caddish thing t o say— I
,
Then yo u
don t mean t o say you never have cared
’
”
for me he d emanded
? .
“
No I couldn t s ay such a thing I fell in love
.
’
.
with you at my first dance and I ve never cared for ’
another man since But n o w She paused

.
,
“
s t ill groping I believe I mus t have waited t oo
.
long . She paused again : Oh Frank ! You ,
don t kno w what it i s for a girl having to hid e

’
everything up from everybody and so ashamed ,
o f being the o n e t o care most no man ever can —
”
know .
“ ”
S o that s it ! He drew a breath o f relief to
’
think it was only wounded pride a fter all which had

“
prompted her re fusal Why my dearest little girl .
, ,
I ve wan ted to propose to you dozens o f times I only

’
.
re frained because I had made up my mind never to

marry until I was in a position to g i ve my wi fe every
com for t W e should neither o f us have been happy
.
in a small house in a side s t reet wi th o ne grubby

”
maidservan t .
”
Then S he
“
H appy ! Oh Frank ! s aid Barbara , .
began to weep bitterly n o t fo r the present bu t for that ,
vanished time when sh e would have shared a hovel

with him and thought it Paradise .
“ ”
Then wha t i s the matter ? he demanded na turally ,
e xasperated .
She wiped her eyes and said struggling desperately ,
“
to express what sh e felt for hi s sake : It s all those ,
’
years I think they did something to me

Y ou know how they s ay in F l o d mo u th you re past
’ ‘ ’
your meals when yo u have waited so lo ng that you

can t eat anything ? Well I I think I mu s t be past
’
,
—
A D AY I N TH E AVENUE 53
your love Frank I wanted it so long And now it s
, . .
’
”
come I can t take it I don t w ant it any more
,
’
.
’
.
“ ” “
But thi s i s senseless said Frank Do you , .
realise that you are ruining my happiness and your o wn

”
for a mere fancy ? Come be reasonable Barbara , , .
“ "
”
I am wept Barbara That s j ust what I am
‘ ’
, . .
I wish I were not I don t love you any more in the.

’
”
way you mean I can t marry yo u .
’
.
“
Bu t why persisted he .
She looked round the kitchen as i f some further

argument might be written on the walls then let her ,
hands drop hopelessly in her lap .
“
I wonder i f I got over you when I was nursing in
Bournemou th and didn t find it out until I s aw you ’
again I worked so awfully hard there that I hadn t

.
’
time to think abou t any thing in the day and at night ,

”
I slept like a l o g I don t know ! .
’
“
Well I think I have been abominably
,
began
G arre t when M rs Simpson s S low footsteps sounded
,
.
’
”
There s your mo ther !
“
in the passage outside .
’
“ ”
Yes Don t you wan t t o s ee her ?
.
’
N0 .
Then come o u t this way .
She ran through the scullery and he followed her .
Th e door banged with a sound o f empty finality and ,
Barbara whose soul was somehow peculiarly attuned

—
to the meaning o f sounds— came back in t o the kitchen

and faced her mother .
”
Well has the woman brough t the collars ? said
,
M rs Simpson
. .
“ ”
No Barbara paused
. It was not the collars . ,
M other .
“ ”
Who came then ?
Frank G arret .
”
What ! cried M rs S impson Frank G arret in . .
the kitchen ! Why didn t you bring him into the ’
”
room ?
“
He wan t ed t o s e e me by mysel f .
M r s Simpson looked eagerly at her girl her

.
—
beloved girl for whom sh e so passionately desired

happiness But she said nothing
. .
“
M other he asked me to marry him
, .
”
Dearest I m so glad said M r s Simpson restrain
,
’
, .
,
i ng the words o f love sh e knew her daughter did no t

want j us t then and forcing hersel f to stand quietly
,
waiting .
“
There s nothing to be glad about I refused
’
.
”
him .
“ ”
R efu s e d him ! echoed Mrs Simpson stupidly . .
Why I always thought

,
”
S O did I But I found ou t I didn t ’
. .
They looked a t each other Then Mrs Simpson . .
kissed her Barbara s soft cheek once and drew away

’
.
“ ”
Are you sure dear sh e said gently
?
, .
”
Quite quite sure Mother
, , .
”
Then what are you crying for ?
Becaus e because I don t love him any more ’
.
And this time o f her own accord sh e threw her arms

, ,
round her mother s neck and wept o n that kind shoulder

’
as sh e had no t done since She was little .
But very soon sh e li fted up her head and wiped her

“
e yes ,
saying briskly : Time to get t ea ready Y o u .
go back to the dining room Mother and I ll bring tea -

, ,
’
”
in in five minutes
, .
Mrs S impson hesitated a moment then smiled her

.
,
pret ty timid smile at Barbara and w ent out o f the

,
kitchen though sh e longed to remain and talk it all
,
over But to her quick sensitive mind Barbara s desire

.
,
’
to avoi d fu rther c o n fid en ce s had been quite as clear as

i f it had been spoken aloud .
Th e girls had gone to bed and M r and M r s Simpson . .
were alone in the back room There was a long silence .

,
during which M rs Simpson now and then look ed at .
her husband over the top o f her newspaper At last .
s h e said :
“ ”
Well Sam what i s i t ?
, ,
N othing I don t know what you mean said Mr

.
’
, .
Simpson irritably Seems to me the R ussians .
And he returned to his paper .
“
I m afraid you are disappointed about Barbara
’
” “
re fusing Frank G arret S o am I She sighed It . . .
would be a great thing to feel the girls had somebody

to look a fter them in these uncertain times in cas e ,
”
anything happened to us .
“
Oh I don t worry s o much about that said Mr
,
’
, .
“
Simpson shortly After all girls can fend for them
.
,
selves now a days - -

.
“
They can while they re young said M rs Simpson ’
, . .
However I wouldn t for the world have Barbara

,
’
marry a man sh e did nOt love ”

.
“
N o— n o ! Pity it has happened so tha t s all sai d ,
’
,
Mr Simpson
. .
There followed another S ilence disturbed only by ,
the rustling o f newspapers M rs Simpson agai n . .
broke it .
“ ”
See anybody when you were ou t after t ea ?
”
Yes I saw Wal ters
.
(Walters being the clergy .
man o f the pari sh whose son Ted had been J im s great ,

’
friend in thei r boyhood ) .
“ ”
Any news o f Te d ?
Oh I didn t mean to t ell you to night
,
’
-
M r s Simpson s eyes con tracted with that nervous

’
.
dread o f sorrow which comes in these days to people

who have su ffered greatly and are in bad health ; then
s h e pulled hersel f together to bear wha t was coming
and her pupils dila t ed again .
”
Has he fallen ?
No But I don t know that it isn t worse He s
.
’ ’
.
’
wounded and a prisoner in the hands o f the

G ermans .
“ ”
Oh ! Poor M rs Walters ! Poor things ! said M rs . .
Simpson wiping h er eyes , .
M r Simpson grunted
. .
“
I said I d better not t ell you t o nigh t Y o u won t
’
-
.
’
”
sleep .
“ ”
Wha t s tha t matt er ? ’
Silence again : the clock ticked so loudly .
“
Well o u r being down in the dumps won t help ’
matters said M r Simpson turning his paper

, .
, .
“
I kno w But all these young lives Sam I c an t
. .
,
’
understand i t All the mothers praying . If I

were G od Her incoherent words trailed o ff
into a sigh .
M r Simpson put hi s paper down o n hi s knee and

.
looked straight at her with troubled eyes gleaming

through his S pectacles .
“
Harriet I sometimes begin t o wonder i f there i s a
,
”
G od he said in a low voice
, .
“
Y o u can t help feeling like that said Mrs Simp
’
.
,
son almost whi spering

, All these F l o dmo u th boys .
A D AY I N TH E AVENUE 57
full o f spirits and promi se that we ve kno w n all our ’
lives . But we wouldn t have kept ou r bo y back ’

,
”
Sam .
“
No Hi s country was attacked and he had t o
.
”
defend her same as he would yo u
, .
They sat o n either side o f the fir e l e s s grate mos t ,
desolate as i f a wind blew across them from a place in

,
which there w as no hope But thi s was the very .
first time in their whole lives that they had really talked
o f Go d together .
Then the clock stru ck M r Simpson j umped up . .
from his sea t and flung down hi s newspaper .
“
Th e brutes have killed my
“ ”
Dammit ! he said .
boy and my business ; they shan t kill my faith in ’
”
Go d !
It was af ter midnigh t and every o ne was in be d a t ,
No 2 8 Chestnut Avenue bu t important things in the

.
,
history o f the souls under that roo f were being enacted .
G radually the rush and clang o f the city had died

,
down and ceased to accompany their thoughts but ,
there was still the occasional high shriek o f the engines

over the wall at the end o f the Avenue the dull sound ,
o f shouting the reverberating footstep o f some belated

,
person coming home .
E ach o f the Simpsons slep t in o d d snatches and ,
woke every time to find themselves whirling round ,
round round o n the unresting wheel o f thought most

, ,
—
sleepers know that waking and the feel o f the wheel ,
beginning to turn turn t urn again with an ache in

, , ,
every revolution .
Thus M r Simpson lying s o quiet by hi s wi fe s side

’
.
, ,
was obliged to clu tch that dizzying wheel Words .

flashed by him in th e darkness Pain pain .
the young lives We mu s t stick it o u t to the

.
end o r they re all wasted

,
’
He turned over .
,
trying to fi nd ease bu t never for a momen t ge tting ,
free .
And M rs Simpson by hi s side seeming so quiet

.
,
t ha t he t hough t her asleep She t o o hung in a sor t o f .
agony o n that wheel with the sweat breaking out upon ,
lips and forehead that she dared not wipe away lest
her husband should feel her movement and be t roubled
at her wakefulness R ound round each time a deeper .
, ,
agony Men su ff ering lads lying dead o n forlorn ,
battle fie l d s
-
No ! No ! Surely not there .
O G od help me to see the dead where they really are ;

,
they are safe happy o u t o f i t all Go d

— —
help me— i f there i s a Go d !

So swinging o n tha t t errible wheel dazed almos t
, , ,
despairing Mrs Simpson li fted up her soul

, . .
No com for t came There seemed to be no o n e a t all .
in the dark void to which she looked Then gradually .

, ,
a f t er a long while She began t o feel a response There

, .
was a lightening o f her despai r New courage began .
to flo w along some unseen channel into her soul She .
felt the com for t o f G od though she could no t grasp His

Presence .
There i s no explaining such an experience : only

Mrs Simpson fell asleep as sure o f Go d as sh e
.
was o f Mr Simpson snoring slightly o n the next

.
pillow .
Barbara also in a midnight hour which seemed

,
endless t o her awoke to find hersel f clu tching the mad

,
dening wheel R ound round round it went : though

.
, ,
her thoughts seemed light and trivial enough when

margarine were pronounced like Margaret o r like

Marj ory.
It would seem incredible were it not so common

—
that each o f the four Simpsons had but just come back
from those forlorn and desert places where human
souls wander alon e in the ni ght
.
CHA P T E R I V
A S OLD I E R
B
AR B A RA and E lsie were w alking in the long road
where the trams run when they encountered Mr .
Frank G arret and the greeting o n both sides was so

,
constrained that a sharp younger sis ter after passing ,
o n inquired at once
,
“ ”
Whatever s up n o w ? ’
Barbara brightly red like a rose in a shower said

, ,
with abruptness that nothi ng was up and tha t sh e , ,
was sick o f such nonsense time E lsie wen t back

to school !
All the same the facts o f the case could no longer
,
be concealed and a pledge o f secrecy seemed less

,
dangerous than a refusal to give desired in formation .
“ ”
Only I won t hear another word abou t it said
,
’
,
Barbara .
But when night came sh e went upstairs t o fin d E lsie ,
o f course sitting o n the side o f her bed with dark

, ,
eyes flaming like lamps under a roughened mo p o f

dark hair : for the girl w as all afir e w ith V icarious
romance despite the girding and critical spirit w hich
,
kept her from dreaming precocious dreams o n her o wn

account .
“
Oh Barbara sh e said as soo n as the door was
, , ,
closed and speaking in italics as usual : I can t h elp

,
’
6 1
feeling thrilled at your refusing Frank G arret W h at .
did he say ? Did he go down o n hi s knees ? I suppose

you refused him j ust to p ay him ou t for dangling such
a long time and keeping you o n a bit o f string But
, .
”
what shall yo u do i f he d o es n t ask you again ? ’
“
Don t talk rot We no longer live in the dark
’
.
ages o f woman when three Noes meant o n e Yes ,

“
said Barbara Y o u ge t o ff t o bed and le t me d o the
.
”
same .
“
I think you are very mean said E lsie reluctantly , ,
beginning to undress Then she reflected that Barbara .
was probably keeping her romance sacred in the V irgin

recesses o f her own heart wi d e a novel devoured o n —
the previous day .
But in any case Barbara was certainly disappoin t

ing for she did none o f those things which E l sie s idea
,
’
o f romance demanded She neither leaned from the .
bedroom window gazing pensively in the direction o f

the suburb where Frank G arret resided nor did she ,
take a long time in brushing her hair while staring into

the looking glass On the contrary sh e made as much
-
.
,
haste as possible splashed hersel f at the wash stand

,
-
,
prayed w ith a serene and obtrusive absorption and

j umped into bed saying sh e was dog tired and should -
go to sleep at once .
“ ”
Oh very well said E lsie also kneeling down and
, , ,
t aking refuge in the Courts o f the Infinite .
In a short t ime a very short time sh e rose from

— —
her knees A gentle snore proceeded from the other

.
bed E lsie bit her lips and frowned angrily but sh e

.
,
continued to undress in silence glancing every now ,
and then at a bright brown plait and a piece o f white

clad shoulder At last sh e approached the bed when
.
,
A S O L D I ER 63
another snore rather louder greeted her Then she , , .
sei z ed hold o f the shoulder and shook it fiercely her ,
hair hanging round her in a black cloud and her great

eyes shining through .
“ ”
Stop that ! she said I f you won t talk t o me .
’
about your private affairs say so straight out I don t , .

’
care I don t want people to confide in me who don t

.
’ ’
want to But I w o n t be deceived by snores tha t

.
’
wouldn t deceive a child in arm s snored by people who

’
,
”
never snore I won t ! S o there ! She broke o ff and
.
’
“
choked You think i t s j us t curiosity It isn t It s
.
’
.
’
.
’
s because I m so fond o f you I want yo u so t o be

’ ’
— it .
happy Barbie , .
Th e snoring abruptly ceased and Barbara sat up .
I never meant t o be horrid E lsie Th e only thing , .
”
is I simply can t talk abou t it After a moment ’
.
” “
o r two sh e added softly :
, Good night o l d E lsie -
, .
E lsie crossed the room and blew o u t the ligh t .
“
Well you can go to sleep n o w sh e remarked
, Bu t , .
don t snore thi s time o r I Shall tell Frank G arre t that

’
you are a confirmed snorer Then the game really wi l l .
”
h e up G ood night
.
-
.
“ ”
G ood night echoed Barbara almost meekly
-
, , ,
burying her head beneath the bed clo thes away from -
th i s t e rr i bl y articulate young sister

'
Next morning sh e drew up the blind and spoke j oy

fully to E lsie who was still in bed ,
.
I say ! G lorious day fo r the wedding .
And all up and down the Avenue through the smok e ,
ha z e which had a delicate pearly loveliness qui t e ,
di ff erent from the blue and gold o f th e morning be yond

th e town these words o r similar ones were being
,
spoken F o r the women s hearts turned through all

.
’
the sadness o f li fe now to the thought o f Blanche

B e ll e r by s happy wedding as you may see flowers in
’
,
a dark place yearn towards the sun .
So at the appointed hour those who were free began

, ,
t o move in twos and threes t owards the dirty yellow ,
brick church Workers in uni form o r in the shabby

.
,
gowns they had worn while packing for prisoners o f

war hurried in to mingle oddly enough with the last
,
year s fi nery o f the rest ; a few women in deep mourn

’
ing made black patches among the goldish pitch pine -
pews tha t stood nearly empty at the back of the church ,
bu t even they had a sort o f reflected sunshine on their

faces . Here were hope and youth and love af ter
all s t ill alive in the world then They greeted the .
sight o f it as o n e does the first crocus after a long sad ,
win t er with a tightening o f the hear t s t rings and y e t a

,
-
sudden rush o f j oy .
It was thus little Mrs Du Caine felt as sh e wa tched

.
,
the bridegroom waiting and thought o f her husband

,
in France and o f her o wn wedding Near her were .
Barbara and E lsie and M rs Wilson and they all .

,
whispered about the bridegroom whose clean cut ,

-
,
nervous profile was outlined s t rongly against the pale

wall o f the church .
“
They s ay he has b e en awarded the Military
”
Cross .
“
Any amount o f money I hear , .
“
Yes : and the E lliotts are ver y well connec t ed .
Blanche would never have come across him in peace

”
times o f course
,
.
“
Well I call i t a fine face
, .
A SOLD I ER 65
They paused watching him move nearer the altar

,
steps .
“
Fancy murmured E lsie with intensi ty
, any , ,
o n e even looking like that about Blanche ! Blanche

Bellerby that used to call names over the wall and
,
crack nuts with her teeth L ove must be a queer .
”
thing .
“ ”
H ush ! sai d Barbara here i s the bridegroom s ’
mother coming in I know her by sight from that

.
picture in the P r i n c es s She turned her country house

.
into a hospital and acts as Commandant though they ,
say sh e spent most o f her days in bed before the

”
war .
“ ”
Oh lo t s like her Wonderful isn t it ?
, .
,
’
”
H o w lovely sh e must have been murmured ,
Barbara as the tall frail looking woman went past

, ,
-
them up the aisle with her thoughts so fixed on her

son that the other people in the church were plainly
invisible to her .
E lsie leaned close t o Barbara her dark eyes shi ning ,
in her little gaunt face , .
“ ”
N ow I se e what it i s ! sh e whispered eagerly .
She s given him Blanche j ust as she d give him the

’ ’
heart ou t o f her body i f he wanted it Poor mother ! .
Poor mother ! I do wish she d go t somebody better ’
than Blanche .
“
Don t be silly ! B l an ch e l l t urn out all right said
’ ’
,
Barbara .
Then Mrs Wilson said in her ponderous way

.
“
I dislike these hurried war weddings I canno t -
.
understand how any mother

”
Oh interrupted Mrs Du Caine here she comes !
, .
,
”
Here she comes !
And as Blanche came up the aisle o n the arm o f her

most presentable male relative wearing the beauti ful ,
veil and necklace o f pearls that M rs E lliott had worn .
on her o wn wedding day all the hard thoughts which

-
,
the onlookers might have had about the bride fled away
for the time being and those kind w ishes which the
,
wedding angels bring were hovering very tenderly

over the young soldier and the girl by his side when
th e service began .
As Barbara sat looking a t them with wide eyes and

a bright flush o n her cheeks sh e heard a little move ,
men t and saw Frank Garret enter a pew close by .
For a moment sh e felt the o l d nervous beating o f the

“
pulse s — the O ld half sickening : Will he speak to
,
-
me ? Won t he ? Oh I wonder i f that girl he i s near

’
,
”
will keep him ? Then it all cleared away as i f a fresh
wind had passed over some stagnant place ; and sh e
knew with a sudden sense o f freedom that sh e didn t
, ,
’
care a button whether he sought her ou t o r not She .
had truly during that year o f hard work and grim

—
” “
realities at Bournemouth — got over him .
She listened to the words o f the Marriage Service ,
which have for the ears o f a girl like Barbara an eternal

newness and beau ty and remembered with a sort o f
,
wonder how sh e had sat behind Frank G arret at

another wedding five years ago Th en th e whole
‘
church suddenly seemed to swim in a golden mist ,
while S he clung hal f fainting to the edge o f the pe w

-
be fore her and all because sh e had seen a V ision o f

—
hersel f standing in white with Frank before that same

al tar
.
That was indeed her girl s waking to the physical

’
s ide o f love though sh e remained even now unaware

,
make sure o f a man and then has no further use fo r

”
him ? But glancing back at the dim flowery altar
,
from the light doorway sh e knew it was not that

,
'
sh e had prayed so o ften amid the excitemen t o f hea t
and music at a Sunday night service here that he ,
might truly love her .
She felt a wistful pity for the girl she was then as
sh e passed in the porch without speaking And yet .
they might have been coming ou t husband and wi fe

together .
But it was true enough as M i ss Pelling said in walk

,
ing home that a wedding always leaves a blank feeling

,
behind ; something seems about to happen which

doesn t ; so a deserted greyness w ith an illusive scen t
’
o f orange blossoms in the air haunted Barbara for the

-
rest o f the day .
This s t ate o f mind drove her ou t restlessly when her

work was done t o call upon M iss Pelling Th e room
, .
where they sat looked o u t upon the dry road s teeped in

late sunshine and the first strawberry barrow o f the
“ ”
year went past : Strawberry ! Fresh strawberry !
Frui t barrows were rare in the Avenue now and this ,
o n e seemed to Barbara like a long echo from those
pas t s u mmers which now appeared t o have been all

strawberries and tenni s and careless young men in
white flan n e l s with a blue and gold seaside holiday
,
planted somewhere in the heart o f them .
Then M rs Wilson came o u t from the house opposite

.
to buy fruit from the barrow with a bowl in her hand ,
and i f she did it with rather the air o f a princess going

a milking
- and did murmur to hersel f that tali sman :
,
“
In war time
- which has gone so far in setting
the middle class free from a thousand lit tle snobberies
-
,
A S OL D I ER 69
sh ebough t fruit o ff a common barro w unashamed all ,
the same .
Th e B el le rby shouse lay closed and quiet while the

’
family of the bride caroused mildly at the hotel but a ,
bit o f white flower dri fted up the road among the dust .
A soldier coming along trod o n it and then glanced ,

“
down saying to himsel f : A wedding in the street !
,
But n o t kindly rather as i f fools must be fools He

, .
looked at the numbers o f the houses as he came along !

and Miss Pelling and Barbara watched him idly saying ,
to each other
“ ”
I wonder who tha t wounded soldier wants ?
Y e s Well he evidently knows the number

.
, .
”
H e s crossing ove r
’
.
They leaned forward t o see better .
“ ”
G oodness Miss Pelling he s coming here !
, ,
’
Some message from the Hospital I dare say said , ,
M iss Pelling rolling up her kn itting

, .
“
I ll go to the door said Barbara
’
, .
She opened the door and s t ood in the gloom o f the

passage Ou t side in the full light stood a very thin
.
, , ,
weather beaten soldier o f middle height in hi s ill

-
fitting blue garments o f glory .
“
Yo u I am no t speaking to Miss Pelling
he said .
“
No D o you want to see her ? Will yo u come
.
Thank yo u And he entered despite the stiffness

.
,
o f his le ft arm with an ext raordinary lightness and

,
easiness O f gait as i f every muscle were made o f s teel

,
and running smoo thly .
”
L ovely weather said Barbara going o n be fore , ,
him .
He muttered some unintelligible response for he ,
was recently home from France where he had spent ,
over a year practically without speaking to a woman ,
and he was for the moment overcome by that o dd

sense o f embarrassment which many soldiers know in
the presence o f a girl after a year s uninterrupted ’
intercourse with thei r o wn sex It is a sensation which .
wears o ff almost at once but it was very disconcerting

,
to a man who had been easily used to female society

all hi s li fe before the war .
“ ”
Oh have you come from the Hospital said M iss
,
?
Pelling And her directness and strange to say

.
,
—
her nose almo s t restored his normal balance

, .
“ ” “
Yes he said
, I am here for massage and elec
.
t r i c i ty be fore j oining my regimen t at Scarcli ff e fo r

light duty I ve had a bullet through my left arm
.
’
.
There was a pause : a t last Mi ss Pelling said helping ,
I suppose yo u have a message for me about

the s t rawberries ? I promised to send some t o the
”
Hospital .
“
N said the soldier no , .
He was s o awkward and the words What do you ,

”
wan t then ? hovered so plainly o n Miss P el l i n g s lips
,
’
“
tha t Barbara said quickly I like strawberries don t , ,
’
”
yo u ? her so ft clear voice taking
, o n that deep note
which always came into it when sh e was very anxious
to be kind .
“
I m looking for a Miss Nelson he said then
’
, ,
gathering himself together L illie Nelson I think , .
”
she once lived with yo u He paused glanced at .
,
Barbara and added with a rise o f colour My name s ,

’
”
Brooke .
A S O L D I ER 7 1
’
Brooke ! cried M iss Pelling j umping up
”
You re ,
.
not dead ! Oh poor L illie ,
I m not th e man who married L illi e Ne lson I m

’
“’
. .
hi s brother .
Miss Pelling sat down again feeling ra ther shaken , .
Barbara ga z ed at Brooke with flushed cheeks and

anxious eyes .
“ ”
H ave you come about the baby ? sh e said won ,
dering at the evident good breeding in this brother o f

a private soldier o f the o l d army wh o had taken two
“ ”
wives at once L ittle Kitchener you know
.
?
,
“ ”
L ittle Kitchener ! sai d B rooke staring a t her , .
”
Oh you mean L illie s kid ? She s called him that ?
,
’ ’
“
NO said M iss Pelling we did L illie left him
”
, , .
in a hamper o n my doorstep without a name and then ,
s h e disappeared again S O I took over the responsi

.
b i l i ty . Somebody had to You couldn t le t the poor .

’
”
little thing be neglected .
Brooke l ooked down t wirling his cap in his hand ,

.
“
It was hard o n you You ve been very good I t s .
’
.
’
time I came and took o n my brother s responsibilities ’

.
”
You ve no right to be burdened he said bringing o u t
’
, ,
the words with an e ffort .
“ ” “
Well said Miss Pelling your brother i s gone
, ,
now N 0 use saying anything

. Then she added .
“
in a different tone : H ave you heard from L illie ?
“
No I have not the least idea where S h e i s She
. .
”
has evidently moved That s why I came here .
’
.
“ ”
Then h o w did you get my address ?
My bro ther gave me it H e said you would be .
sure to know where S he was i f I couldn t find her in ’
”
their old lodgings .
“ ”
Have you never seen her ?
Never said B rooke , Fact is my brother and .

,
I had not met fo r ten years until he paused .
“ ”
Until when said M iss Pelling sharply
? .
Well it was in the great hall at R ouen

, We .
chanced t o get o n two stretchers side by side Things .
like tha t are always happening in this war There .
was ano ther pause Barbara leaned forward with

.
“
s hining eyes but he did not notice her
, My brother .
d ied during the night Bu t we had some talk first

. .
H e said L illie was a good sor t and there was going to ,
b e a kid and he seemed a bit worried

, No t very .
,
be cause when you get to where he wa s S o he

gave me your address and I said i f I go t home I d do
, ,
’
”
what I could .
“
Anyway your brother was dying fo r hi s co u ntry
, ,
said Barbara softly .
Brooke glanced at her with indi ff erence ; that other

scene came like a curtain let down betw een them .
But his simplicity seemed t o make them all oddly

simple .
“
Yes You can t d o more than that said M i ss
.
’
,
“
Pelling Would you like to see the child ? I can
.
arrange to let you see it to morrow It i s with a -

.
”
woman quite near .
“
I f you will be so kind He paused Who s . .
’
”
paying ? he said abruptly .
Oh well ,
I am Quite all right muttered .
,
Mi ss Pelling embarrassed as ever by her o wn good

,
”
deeds . Boys wanted for the E mpire sh e added ,
vaguely t rying t o give it an impersonal aspect

,
.
“
Yo u must let me undertake that M iss Pelling , ,
“
said Brooke Th e greatest par t o f i t looking after
.
—
the boy and seeing he i s properly done t o and all that

A S O L D I ER 73
I will leave to yo u But you must let me take o n the.
”
monetary part of the responsibility .
A S Miss Pelling glanced at hi s private s badge and

’
hesitated he suddenly smiled at her in a way that

,
curiously illumined his dark and ravaged face It s .

’
” “
all right he said, I can a ff ord to keep little .
Kitchener I had a rotten bad time ou t in Canada

.
at first ; but in the end I made good i n a moderate —
”
style that is
, .
“ ”
Are you a married man yoursel f then ? said ,
Miss Pelling .
He paused looking a t her ; and hi s look said as

,
“
plainly as words : I would rather not talk o f this ,
”
but yo u have earned my confidence Aloud he said : .
“
I am a widower I married when I was twenty two .
-
.
That s why I wen t t o Can ada ; to make a home for

’
my wi fe I worked the nails o ff my fingers : then sh e

.
caught cold doing the chores in a severe fros t while

, ,
”
I was laid up wi th a sprained knee .
“ ”
How sad ! said M iss Pelling She had t o say .
something though the words sounded v e ry fu tile to

,
hersel f .
Barbara did not speak She only turned her eyes .
from hi s face lest sh e should s e e something there tha t

he would ra ther hide .
“
I look older t han I am he continued I came , .
at the end o f a big family My father was a country .
parson o n a hundred and eighty a year and we had ,
to live o n that and pretend to keep up a position like

the country gentry and doctors and the parsons with ,
private means But we were always thank ful to cadge

.
a good meal with any o f the farmers round and ,
they knew it We weren t hal f educa t ed Then my

.
’
.
brother got into trouble and ran away and enlisted in ,
the R egulars long before the war I hold no brie f fo r .
my brother ; but with hi s t emperament I don t think ,

’
”
he had much o f a chance .
“
NO
”
M iss Pelling flushed crimson
. Brooke s .
’
plain words deeply moved her and she blurted o u t , ,
most anxious to do some thing for the dead man : You

can t blame anybody You never kno w what s inside
’
.
’
people I f it hadn t been fo r my nose hedging me

.
’
round like a barricade against men I should probably ,
have been a regular high kicking champagne popping -

,
-
bad woman mysel f I had it in me and when I see .

,
such like going past I always say to myself : Bu t for

-
,
‘
a nose and the grace o f G od there goes L ot ty Pelling ! ’
” “
At least s h e added truth fully in some moods I do
, ,
.
“ ”
Quite so said Brooke uncom fortably and h e
, ,
“
turned to Barbara : Do you know Scarcli ff e ? I am
”
going there soon I believe , .
“
Oh yes A dear little seaside place said Bar
.
,
bara falling in hastily into th e change O f sub j ect She

, .
was thinking about his face h o w strangely worn fo r ,
a young man s with that mark o f a shrapnel wound

’
,
o n hi s forehead and the deep lines o n his cheeks No .
o n e could possibly call him well preserved And -

.
with that word there floated across Barbara s mind ’
the image o f Frank G arret far less lined and scarred ,

“
than this man o f twenty eight But the Canadians -
.
”
are not at Scarcli ffe S h e added aloud , .
“
No I am not with them I came over and j oined
,
.
”
up in E ngland he ans w ered ; and w ith that he rose to
,
depart standing near the windo w where the full light

,
fell o n his face Barbara s aw that it was even more

.
ravaged than she had though t : he had not be en a fraid

Well I can t believe they ever could come across

,
’
each other like tha t and I believe it s all a made u p ,

’
-
tale I f I were Miss Pelling I should keep an eye o n

.
,
G ladys .
“
It certainly does seem strange that Brooke sho u ld
go out o f his way to get mixed up in such an unpleasant
” “
a ffair said M r S impson
,
I can t see that he has
. .
’
any real responsibility particularly as the brothers ,

”
had not met for years .
”
Father ! cried Barbara You kno w any man .
would promise hi s brother anything at a time like

that It wouldn t matter a t oss how long they d been
.
’ ’
”
parted : they d once been little t ogether ’
.
“ ”
U m ! said M r Simpson sitting down to his news .
,
paper We had better wait until to morrow Time

.
-
.
will S how Perhaps now he has made sure that the child
.
i s being properly looked a fter he won t turn up again ,

’
.
“ ”
I m sure he will then ! said Barbara hotly
’
, .
Mrs Simpson glanced at her daughter s flushed

.
’
cheeks .
“
Wha t sor t o f looking man i s he sh e said with ,
apparent carelessness .
“ ”
Oh ! Barbara paused obviously unready with a ,
“
description Well he is ra ther short and has a
.
,
scar o n his forehead and looks frightfully worn and

”
weather beaten -
.
“ ”
Young ? said Mrs Simpson . .
Yes but he seems much older than he i s He has

,
.
”
rather a Canadian accent .
“ ”
Married ? asked E lsie Bu t he probably .
wouldn t tell ’
.
“
Yes ; at least he i s a widower .
M r s Simpson heaved a little sigh o f relie f She so

. .
A S OL D I ER 77
passionately loved her girls that sh e was over anxiou s

-
about every trifle concerning them though she t r ied

,
to hide i t lest they Should be fretted : and sh e there

fore felt glad to hear this new comer into Barbara s
-
’
circle was s o O bviously unromantic Th e brother o f

.
Miss P e ll i n g s L illie s bigamous hu s band might be

’ ’
chivalrou s in intent but a vague prej udice against him

,
lingered in the back o f her mind all the same

, .
CHAP TE R V
LI TT LE W H E E LS W I T H I N W H E E LS
N E! T day Barbara was laying t he table fo r the

midday meal somewhat listlessly having reached ,
tha t stage when all the glamour o f a new beginning

goes o ff and only soli d reality i s left behind Th e .
endless round o f dom es t ic duties looked terribly dull

and aimless to her at that moment and she longed t o ,
be o u t in the world among the other women working ,
and Spending doing some thing definite for her country

,
o r hersel f Th e very fork sh e w as holding would be

.
soiled washed placed o n the table again soiled again

, , ,
.
Th e sounds o f F l o dmo u th beat monotonously

through her head though sh e was not conscious o f
,
them With an impatient gesture as i f choking for

.
,
ai r S he flung up the w indow and stood breathing

,
deeply ; then s h e heard her father enter from behind ,
and her mother immediately followed She shut the .
window and took up t h e tray without speaking bu t as ,
S h e was crossing the room something in her father s

’
appearance struck her as being slightly unusual He .
looked j aded and excited and yet flat i f such a combi —
nation be possibl e W hile M rs Simpson kept glancing

—
rather a nx iously a t him from her sea t by the emp ty

.
fire grate
—
.
“ ”
Well Fa ther ? sh e said
,
.
78
L I TTLE WH EEL S WI T HI N WH EEL S 79
”
What s the matter ? said her daugh ter more
’
,
di rectly .
“
N othing said Mr Simpson , . .
Well yo u don t look in very good spiri t s

,
’
.
”
On the contrary said M r S impson wi th decision , .
, ,
”
I am in very good spirits indeed He paused . .
“ ”
I ve found a j ob at last
’
.
“
Oh where ? Where
, cried Barbara excitedly ,
putting down her tray Then sh e ran to the room .
door and called ou t : E lsie ! E lsie ! Father s go t ’
something to do .
As E lsie came running into the room M r Simpson , .
glanced at M r s Simpson w ith the co w ardice in hi s eyes

.
which occasionally attacks all good husbands in the

presence o f all good w ives He was afraid o f W hat .
s h e would say when he told her because it would be ,
wha t he so acutely felt But he only said nonchalan tly .
“ ”
Y e s Wagsta ff es have taken me o n
. .
“
What ! Th e o ffice in which you were placed as a
bo y be fore you set up in business fo r yoursel f ! H o w
,
” “
splendid ! said M rs Simpson But o f course they . .
, ,
”
would be the very ones to know your t rue value .
“ ”
Um ! Well I rather hope not said Mr Simpson
, , .
,
“
smiling un e asily Th e screw isn t But I m so ’ ’
.
dead sick o f earn ing nothing and hanging abou t the

”
place idle .
“ ”
What are they giving you ? said E lsie ; for in
the Simpson family everything was O pen to di scussi on ;
there were no mysteries and reserves in it .
“ ”
Wel l it sounds very poor said M r Simpson
, , .
,
looking at hi s wi fe But anyt hing s better than .

’
nothing you know They re giving me thir ty shillings

, .
’
”
a week .
”
What ! cried E lsie Oh Dad to a clever busi .
, ,
ness man like you ! Why Irene Markham up the street ,
”
i s getting twenty fiv e and S he s a perfect silly -
,
’
.
O f course Wagsta ff es will give yo u promotion

, ,
“
said Barbara Your experience will soon tell even
.
,
”
in a different trade from your o wn .
“
Oh no doubt ! N o doubt ! I ought to have learn ed
,
something in my time but it takes a wise man t o know ,
his own father but a wiser o n e to know by instinct

,
”
wha t s at the bottom o f a fruit case
’
H e chuckled .
anxiously a feeble imitation o f hi s familiar j olly

—
chuckle as he glanced from o n e to the other : and

—
something in hi s look and manner made the tears

spring to Barbara s eyes ’
.
“ ”
What does it matter what you get Dad ? sh e ,
“
said impulsively You are releasing a man t o fight
.
”
fo r E ngland .
“
That s all very well sai d Mrs Simpson but I
’
.
, ,
do think something better might have been found fo r

”
you Sam So many friends as you have in the town
, . .
M r Simpson hesitated turning from hi s W i fe in her

.
,
nervous agitation to his two daughters who gazed ,
intently at him anxious and bright eyed ; then he ,

-
answered reluctantly
“
I didn t say anyt hing be fore I thought I d wai t
’ ’
.
until I had something to tell But I have been to a .
score o f o fli c e s in F l o d mo u th H e paused and added .

,
“
with diffi culty looking down at the carpet : It wasn t
,
’
easy o l d friends cap in hand and me

used to taking my place He paused once more .
“
H aving had a business of your o wn goes against
you Men are a fraid yo u won t stand being ordered
.
’
about .
There was a short silence Then Barbara said .
“
But M r Binny knows you so well Did you t ry
. .
”
him ?
“
Yes I went t o him yesterday I kept him for
. .
the last becau s e I didn t like our being s o inti ’
mate and all I knew he d make a berth for me ’
i f he could .
And didn t he ? Oh you never mean to say old

’
,
”
B inny turned you down ? cried E lsie ; and pale w ith ,
vicarious hurt pride and a deeper love for her fathe r

than sh e had been conscious o f before sh e flung her ’
,
arms about him and half strangled him in a sudden -
“ ”
embrace Oh the pig ! she sobbed
.
, Oh the long .
,
legged shiny booted mean spirited o ld pig ! I d o wish

,
-
,
-
”
I had him here !
M r Simpson chuckled genuinely this t ime and
.
, ,
disengaged himsel f the odious tension o f th e intervie w

was relieved .
“
Come ! Come ! I dare say he would wish the
same— and you can t blame a chap for being par ticula r
’
”
about hi s boots E lsie , .
“
Yes I can,
And always a grey tie matching
.
”
hi s suit and E ngland s fighting for li fe ’
.
“
Yo u do Binny an inj ustice E lsie said M r Simp , , .
“
so n
. He i s doing badly in his business and i s over
worked besides giving away every penny he can spare
, .
Why has he gone without a holiday since the o u t

break o f war do you think ? And why has he given
,
up golf ? And why doesn t he get home most night s ’
until seven o r eight o clock ? You don t imagine he ’ ’
”
does it for fun ?
“
Well he never says anything He se ems j olly .
e nough said Barbara

, .
E lsieturned round o n her si s ter wi th o n e o f the

quick changes o f mood that her elders found trying .
“ “ ”
Don t we all sh e retorted
? ’
G oodness i sn t that .
,
’
what we re all doing from morning to night keeping

’
—
”
it up an d saying nothing ?
“ ”
But about the j ob Father ? said Barbara letting , ,
“
that go as o n e o f E lsie s fl i n gs What did M r Binny ’
. .
”
say to you ?
Well he O ffered t o t ake me o n as I thought he

, ,
”
would said M r Simpson with a return o f his former
, .
,
“
uneasiness Afterwards when I w alked home up
.
,
the Avenue I thought I ought to have taken it But

, .
when I was coming o u t o f his o ffi ce I couldn t help ,

’
saying t o him : N o w Binny do you really want me ‘

, , ,
o r are you doing thi s out o f friendship ? For it seems

to me a girl typist o n twenty five bob a week would -
suit your purpose better than I should He said : .

’
‘
N o but I could se e he agreed with me though he
,
’
,
t ried to argue otherwise S o I couldn t go in with it .

’
a fter tha t I know I ought to have done It was all

. .
my silly pride But at the moment I somehow .
”
couldn t ’
.
“
O f course not clear said M rs Simpson but only , , .
,
hal f heartedly for the future loomed steeply in front

~
,
o f her and her nerves were all unstrung .
Barbara however was still full of the vigour o f

, ,
youth and she added emphatically

,
“
I should have done just the same And so would .
”
E lsie Wouldn t yo u E lsie ?
.
’
,
“
I S hould said E lsie I c o u l d n t go where I
,
.
’
wasn t wanted not even i f it was to heaven I d

’
—
.
’
s ay : All right I ll go to hell ! I used to feel like

‘
,
’ ’
that when Mrs Wilson said little girls that made faces.
Barbara does splendidly said M r Simpson . .
Never fed better 1 n my li fe .

’
But after luncheon when h e awakened from hi s

,
mid day nap his digestive organs protested that they

-
, ,
a t any rate were not going to accept substitutes with

,
o u t a struggle He bore
. thi s manfully and i t was only ,
fi
when a very superior lady in a Sunday newspaper , ,
deplored all the talk about food from a high altitude

o f not caring tha t he did in common with a good
, ,
many other middle class people on the following Sun

-
day afternoon feel as a martyr might i f somebody

,
tried to snatch hi s halo .
Miss Pelling was in the same case having since ,
childhood loathed porridge fo r breakfas t ye t now sh e ,
gulped it down with a heaving sensation in her stom

“ ”
ach and an endeavour to sing R ule Britannia ! at ,
the same time in her soul : no t a very easy fea t bu t o n e ,
sh e performed successfully almost every day .
As M r S impson looked a t Mi ss Felling s house o n

.
’
thi s particular Saturday afternoon he thought o f his ,
conversation with Binny and was in t erested to s e e

,
little Kitchener being brough t up the Avenue in the

arms o f the porter s wi fe ’
Cries shortly floated
.
through an open window and M iss Pelling could be ,
seen dancing the baby up and down ; then the porter s ’
wi fe hurried o u t as i f it were a busy day at home and

s h e full o f urgent a ffairs A fter that there came an
.
in t erval punctuated by sudden cries which w ere mys

,
t e r i o u s l y stilled and at last a soldier in blue hospital

,
uni form came down the street M r Simpson called . .
o u t through the doorway behind him

”
Barbara ! Here s your soldier turned up again !
’
”
Has he ? Barbara came running I knew he .
”
would sh e said standing by her father at the window
, , .
Miss F elling s front door O pened and shut : then ’
Brooke s lined face and very bright dark eyes and

’
,
white teeth appeared beside little Kitchener s in the ’
windo w .
“
They ve a look o f each other even at this dis tance
’
, ,
said M r Simpson adjusting his spectacles

.
, .
“ ”
Th e eyes perhaps said Barbara , , .
”
Well can t be the tee th — said M r Simpson ’
, .
,
chuckling as he turned away from the w indow .
Th e group opposite also disappeared into the interior

o f the room M r Simpson went into the garden
. . .
E lsie came slowly through the door looking pale and ,
pinched .
“ ”
Head bad ? said Barbara .
Um said E lsie then she added sharply Wha t

, , ,
o n earth are you waiting there for ? Want to see Miss

”
Felling s soldier come o u t
’
?
“
N 0 I m waiting for Dorothy Bellerby
.
’
said ,
“
Barbara I promised to go for a walk W ith her
. .
“ ”
But you don t like her protested E lsie ’
, .
I know I don t very much ; but M rs Bellerby has ’

.
”
been so kind in bringing flowers and fruit for Mother ,
said Barbara .
“ ”
Oh yes said E lsie mimicking M rs B e ll erby s
, , .
’
over re fin e d way of speaking :

-
My dear daughter ‘
sent these from her mother i n law s place in the Mid - -

’
lands R eally a mansion with a park and acres o f

.
,
greenhouses I assure you Mrs Simpson w e had

.
, .
,
no i d ea o f hi s prospects until after they became en

gaged But an innocent girl s heart is her best guide
.
’
.
Don t you agree With me ? Oh it makes me sick !

’ ” ’
,
Barbara laughed .
“
Any w ay M other en j oyed the grapes ; and it is
,
kind o f them to think o f her .
“ ”
Barbara said E lsie fixing her sister with solemn
, ,
“
e ye s d o you know what will happen to you o n e o f
fi
these fine mornings ? You ll wake up to find yoursel f ’
married to a man you don t care tuppence about b e ’
cause you ve slid into it through being grateful to him

’
for being kind : j ust as you ve slid into a friendship ’
with Dorothy whom you don t care for a bit NO W ,

’
.
I wouldn t be friends with anybody I didn t really like

’ ’
not i f they bu sted themselves up with being kind ’

.
It s me liking th e m I don t ca re what they d o

’
—
’
.
“
Oh you re a clever one you are said Barbara
,
’
, ,
e asily Well Mother fe ste d

.
, ,
“
Yes dear By the way Father met Frank G ar
, .
,
ret in the train this morning and he asked after us ,

”
a ll .
Very kind murmured Barbara flushing , ,

.
Kind ! There you are again said E lsie Mother ,

”
.
,
i f I were you I wouldn t have him hanging round ,

’
Barbara any more She doesn t want him bu t he ll .

’
,
’
”
keep her from wanting anybody e lse .
“
What do you know about it ? S o M r s Simp son ”
.
“ ”
d ismissed her smiling G oing for a w alk Barbara
,
? .
,
But E lsie interposed in a burst o f shrill impatience :

Yes you may smile and you may smile but you ll
, , ,
’
smile o n the other side o f your face when Barbara gets

to be a discontented o l d maid with a red nose like
M iss Pelling and y ou ve done it Y o u and Father
,
’
.
ought to have nipped Frank G arre t in the bud Y o u .
”
l e t him dangle too long .
There was a su ffi cient elemen t o f truth in this t irade

to chime rather unpleasantly with the reproaches o f

M r s Simpson s o wn conscience She ought to have
’
. .
inter fered ; but that exquisite timidity which hedged

her round had made her hesitate to brush the bloom
o ff anyt hing s o lovely and unconscious as her young
daughter s first love Thi s excuse however naturally

’
.
, ,
did not occur to her now and she felt only that she ,
had failed in her duty as a mother the sort o f Mo ther —
constantly mentioned by Mrs Wilson w ith a capital .
“ ”
M . So she sighed and sa t down saying nothing ,
a most sure way o f bringing her younges t daughter

to repentance .
“ ”
There ! exclaimed E lsie impulsively No w I ve .
’
been horrid again After all the vows I made to

.
mysel f last night It almost seems as i f the more

.
vows I make the w orse I am But indeed and indeed .

,
I only went o n like this because I want dear o l d Bar

bara t o have what s h e want s — not wha t wan t s her
”
and she s a wobbler
’
.
With tha t she flung o u t o f the door leaving Mrs , .
Simpson to remark hesitatingly

“
Yo u are sure you don t regret having refused
’
”
Frank G arret dear ? ,
“ ”
Oh ! cried Barbara hal f laughing hal f exasper
,
-
,
—
ated . You ll make me wish I were back in Bourne

’
mouth again Mother At least nobody was there to

, .
,
ke ep a constant eye o n the b arometer of my affections .
Fai r ! Set fair ! Changeable ! And yo u and Fa ther and

E lsie standing round and tapping You make me feel .
”
crow ded !
At that moment however Dorothy came up the li t
, ,
tle path and Barbara ran out all unaware how vividly
, ,
to every last detail that scene would come back to her

in later li fe and how dear would seem the surround

,
ing love and care which she now resented .
Mrs Simpson t ook up her knitting resolutely and

.
steadied her lips from trembling : her heart fought

har d during the next hal f hour against that realisation
-
o f separateness which it takes a mother such a long
tim
l e to learn and then sh e does not learn i t
—
She .
looks forward to a future when her daught er will f e el

as S he does then and understand , .
Perhaps the smell o f orange blossom from the war -
wedding still lingered about the Avenue or perhaps ,
i t was that a rather mangy syringa in bloom behind

M r Binny s house gave o u t w afts o f fragrance w hich
.
’
led the thoughts unconsciously in the direction o f

romance Anyway o n that Saturday afternoon little
.
M rs Du Caine at the end o f the street thinking o f

.
—
past happy Saturdays wrote in her letter to her hus

—
band : Do you remember that o l d inn o n o u r honey

moon with the syringa under the w indow ? I smelt
some somewhere about to day We ll have another -
.
’
honeymoon there when the war i s over won t we ,

’
,
”
dear ? While M r Binny nearest to the bush and e n
.
,
gaged in digging new potatoes was inspired to put ,
the best in a basket as an offering for Mi ss Pelling .
It was no doubt the soft sunny haze and the scent ,
o f the syringa which inspired him as he carefully
chose and cleaned the potatoes With a certain sense .
o f adventure he washed his hands energetically for a

,
long time w ashing being a sort o f passion W ith him

—
and thus fortified he took his basket and knocked at

M iss F elling s door She opened it hersel f and her
’
.
,
nose was redder than usual having recently su ffered ,

L I TTLE WH EEL S WI T H I N WH EEL S 89
from too much o f little Kitchener s attention ; but ’
Mr Binny had come up the path on a strong tide o f

.
feeling and was not going to let himsel f be baulked

,
by a small check n o w .
“
Are you are you at home
— he said idio t ically ,
and ra ther breathle s sly .
Bu t M iss P elling l i ke the rest o f the human race

, ,
was unaware o f the importan t happenings concerning

hersel f which were going o n a few feet a w ay from her
in ano ther person s mind She simply saw that M r
’
. .
B inny was a little agitated about something and ,
the dustman at once occurred to her Th e man had .
been very tires ome last week and had declined to take ,
meat tins and o l d bottles S o sh e introduced thi s .
subj ect a t once a fter explaining that she awaited the

,
retu rn o f G ladys wh o was fe t ching the porte r s wi fe

,
’
and the pe ramb u latOr .
There ! There ! sh e said soothing the res t ive

”
,
c hild against her grey blouse in an a w kward fashion ,
but thereby somehow raising M r Binny s feelings to .

’
a still more adventurous heigh t He touched the tiny .
fat hand o n her shoulder .
Se ems a bright little chap he murmured having , ,

“
abruptly closed the subj ect o f the d u strn an I hear .
hi s e r uncle has taken over the responsibility o f

— —
”
bringing him up Very creditable ! Very creditable !
.
“
Yes ; M r Brooke has just been to see the child
.
,
and we have got everything satisfactorily settled I .
”
must confess I think he ha s behaved splendidly said ,
Miss Pelling .
“
N ice little thing said M r Binny abstractedly
, .
,
adjusting his eye glasses and bestow ing on the hand

-
o n Mi ss P e lli n g s shoulder such a chilly and ill p r ac

’
-
kiss that little Kitchener who was a c o nnoi s s e u r

t i se d , ,
naturally resented i t by kicking violently and bursting

into a howl .
“ ”
H u s h ! Hush ! soothed M iss Pelling .
“ ”
Yah ooh ! wep t li ttle Kitchener
“
-
.
“ ”
Come ! Come ! urged M r Binny gingerly touch .
,
ing a waving foot .
It was a touching domestic scene But little .
Kitchener with the reckless selfishness of youth spoilt

, ,
it all by suddenly grabbing Mi ss P e l l in g s nose and ’
glaring round at M r Binny This was h is nose L et

. . .
M r Binny go to a place o f sour bottles and disregarded

.
pins !
M r Binny fell back a few paces
. .
“ ”
Queer little fellow ! he said smiling ; but it was , ,
in a sense a smile o f agony F o r he fel t once more

, .
that he simply couldn t do it ; and ye t he had a grea t

’
need o f M iss Pelling in hi s li fe .
Very soon he went away feeling lonely and o l d and

,
rather ashamed o f himsel f ; bu t he decided no t t o t ry

any more .
After a while the por t er s wi fe wheeled li ttle ’
Kitchen e r do w n the street and it did seem quite i n

,
credible that such an atom o f humanity should already

have influenced the destiny o f two sensible middle ,
aged people in Chestnut Avenue .
M r Binny turned from the windo w lit hi s pipe and

.
,
sat down in the easy chair After all a pipe was a

.
,
grea t comfor t .
work in this war time I don t kno w how I should

-
.
’
live . She kissed the little narrow face You re .

’
s o much better fo r t he rest from school though ; and ,
j ust think o f the years yo u have before you t o do all

”
sorts Of wonderful things in .
“ ”
I know I m a beast sai d E lsie ; but I do feel
’
as i f I wanted a bi t o f real fun with nothing dragging

”
at me from behind Y ou understand what I mean ?
.
Barbara understood very well o n that greyish golden

a fternoon ; still sh e had to put up that barrier w hich
those who live together erec t in unconscious de fence
O f their souls privacy ; so S h e only replied
’
“
I ll change your book a t the L ibrary ; they may
’
have go t the o n e yo u want in by n o w .
And ten minutes later sh e was walking down the

wide road leading into the city Trams clashed and .
j angled : clear eyed sailors with the tan o n their faces

-
from that wonderful silent watch o n the North Sea,
stepped nimbly along in gold laced uni forms ; a squad -
o f soldiers tramped by the edge o f the curb .
’
Nother little drink nother little drink nother little
,
’
,
’
drink wone do u se n n yarm ”

singing squalid songs
to the deathless tune o f glory and sacrifice Th e same .
queer British instinct to hide the best was causing

two sailors behind Barbara to t ell thei r girls tales
O f practical j okes leaving o u t all mention o f th e
,
storms and hardships and nerve racking ceasel e ss -

,
vigilance .
At the corner was a great Cinema Palace like a ,
scullery mai d s dream o f the heavenly mansions ; and

-
’
near it hovering before a picture in the door w ay stood

, ,
the guardian o f little Kitchener H e loitered slo w ly .

,
hi s ill fitti ng blue clothes hanging loosely o n his thin

-
PIC TU RE S 93
limbs ; and in spite o f hi s virility there w as something

rather forlorn and wistful in his attitude Barbara '
.
hesitated a moment and then went up behind him

, .
“
Well ? Wondering whether you should go in or
”
not sh e said pleasantly
? .
He swung round and sh e w a s struck a fresh by the

extraordinary keenness and brightness o f hi s eyes and
the whiteness o f his teeth in hi s dark scarred weather , ,
beaten face It seemed ridiculous but sh e almost felt

.
,
as i f some electric current flashed between them in

that moment when he swung round to welcome her .
It was not she vaguely felt the ordinary pleasure

— —
o f a lonely man in meeting a pretty friendly girl ; it ,
was the relie f o f a soul that has wandered into those

lost places outside human fellowship whose mis t s breed
crime and suicide .
Perhaps at that momen t he had go t los t there fo r ,
when men are weakened by the long strain o f battles

it i s a place easily found and the road may be the
veriest bypath a sudden gust o f cold wind with
paper blow i ng in i t desolation pain
And the way o u t quickly be fore the mind s eye ’
.
Bu t immediately Brooke said smiling ,

“
Yes. I was wondering i f I should t urn in Bu t .
”
it s not much fun going alone
’
.
“
N She hesitated That craving for fun which
.
sh e had felt be fore coming ou t w orked in her mind ,
though sh e hersel f was only conscious o f a desire to

“
cheer a wounded soldier Well supposing we went
.
,
in together fo r an hour ? It s ages since I was at the

’
”
pictures .
“ ”
Will you ? She noticed how his face creased
round those ve ry bright eyes as he s tood erec t smiling ,
at her . I say that i s j olly o f you

,
Then h i s face .
“
shadowed and he added quickly : L ook here ! Y o u
— you needn t come i f it s inconvenient j ust be cause
’ ’
,
”
you re sorry for me I m all right
’
.
’
.
She laughed and the slight awkwardness and ten

,
sion about the interview vanished altogether Brooke .
noticed the dimple in her cheek for the first time and ,
though t to himsel f that every girl ought to hav e a

dimple like that .
Then s h e said gaily for her spirits were rising

,
Why on earth should I be sorry for you ? You re ’
ge tting well all right and you have light duty at

, ,
Scarcli ffe to look fo r ward to and a girl to go to the ,
pictures with : wha t wounded soldier wants more than

”
that ?
“
Well ? I guess this o ne doesn t anyway said ’
, ,
Brooke .
He led the way in and the pic ture palace which had
,
before seemed dull and sordid to him now appeared

delightful and rather exciting ; it was such a change as
comes to an ugly farm house o n a ridge when seen
-
against the sunrise Only Brooke imagined that

he had done with such experiences He liked girls .
—
bu t he had loved once and that was enough Th e , .
torture o f that experience left him disinclined fo r

any fur ther stirring o f the depth s o f passion He .
knew the force o f hi s o wn feelings and dreaded i t

instinctively .
But he had been so long away from civilisation ,
first in Canada and then in France tha t the whole ,
thing now seemed to him rather magical and unreal .
Th e girl attendant w ith her flashlight walking back ,
wards wi th little cu rt e sy i ng movements into the gloom ,

PICTU R E S 95
w as like the attendant in some enchanted castle A .
man ran swi ftly across the screen a tiger

the empty j ungle elephants with howdahs rock
i ng .
O f course i t was an ordinary film o f a tiger hun t ,
but something o f the toil and wonder o f the forces o f

Nature which had been chained to produce it thrilled
Barbara and her companion as they s at down .
“ ”
Colossal game o f tig that ? he said settling him , ,
sel f into the red velvet seat Th e forfeit either the

.
”
man o r the tiger .
“ ”
Yes So yo u play tig ou t in Canada said Bar
.
?
bara letting the words ripple forth as they came into

her head : it did not seem to matter what sh e said
in that soft darkness because she felt though sh e was —
no t aware o f feeling that the words themselves did

—
not matter .
Oh I don t know ! No t many children about

,
’
” “
where I was He leaned j ust a little nearer
. I re .
member how we used to play t ig at home when we

were kids At school treats especially My mother
.
-
.
used to ge t t ired and go home and it turned hazy over

t he fi elds Th e t rees felt damp when you t ouched
.
”
them .
He talked o n in a cons tant s t ream seized with that ,
strange garrulousness which sometimes attacks r e

served and lonely people in the presence O f strangers
who are sympathetic to them He told Barbara all .
sorts o f t r i fle s about hi s early li fe and the O ld home

which he would have thought an hour before to have
been absolutely forgotten A thousand others welled .
up in hi s memory too fas t t o be given o u t ; h o w hi s

mother looked when sh e sat at the evening meal in
the low Vicarage room with its three w indows facing

the garden ; the shadow o f his father s head o n the ’
wall behind the pulpit o n summer nights when the

candles were lighted and there was sunset still through
the W est window ; the sound o f the o l d parish clerk s
-
’
A a men ! a t the end o f the service

-
.
And now here was Barbara s clear voice close t o hi s ’
ear . H O W you must have loved your home Were .
yo u very lonely out in Canada after I mean when

”
you lived alone ?
“
Oh I rubbed along all right
,
He roused him .
sel f wondering
,
F raid I must have bored yo u aw
.
’
fully Miss Simpson

, .
No no ' And I like hearing abou t Canada

—
.
Well I suppose everybody ge t s a bit lonely at

,
t imes Y o u say to yoursel f o n winter nights w hen the

’
.
chores are all done : I wonder what they re doing at ‘ ’
home t o night And yo u picture them sitting round

-
.
Bu t very likely they re doing something quite di ff er

’
”
ent . And he laughed beckoning the chocolate girl , .
But Barbara s quick mind responded again t o wha t

’
was behind the words She heard in thi s garish hall .
filled now with a soft darkness the eternal chanting

o f that wistful chorus which sounds from all the lonely
“
places in the world : I wonder what they re doing a t ’
”
home to night ! In her sudden rush o f warm desire
-
t o com fort every o n e o f them sh e moved a li tt le closer

to Brooke saying eagerly ,
“
But it s so glorious to be a pioneer I t s the grand
’
.
’
est fight there i s a man fighting Nature fo r a liv—
ing : and thfat won t stop whatever they manage to do ’

’
’
about the o ther kind o f war It s bound to go o n while .

’
the world lasts You can put your whole li fe and soul
.
PIC TU RE S 97
into learning how t o continue that fight and feel it ,

”
will al w ays be worth while .
Think s o he said casually Bu t hi s arm t ouched

.
hers in the dark while a deep sense o f companionship

,
a fter long loneliness pervaded his being nothing more —
a s yet : and the pictures slipped quickly along before

their eyes making the pause natural
, I say you d .
—
’
be the right sort for a colonist s w i fe ’

.
Again silence between them and the warm darkness

,
a man mou thing and gesticulating o n the screen

an unnameable delicate thrill going in from o n e to the
,
other which was not passion but bore the same relation
,
to it that the first stirring o f the dawn wind in th e

dark bears to the dawn .
“ ”
Wonderful how they get these fi lms ! He ben t his
head sideways speaking in her ear bu t hi s coa t sleeve
, ,
-
scarcely touched her blous e h e would n ot have —
pressed c oarsely upon her fo r th e world .
“
Wonderful
Instinc t was also alive in her as she fel t the ligh t
t ouch o f the cloth through her thin S leeve though her ,
mind feigned cool aloofness and would know nothing

o f it. But she suddenly grew rather a fraid o f that
warm darkness which enveloped them and j erked o u t ,
“
mechanically : Do you intend t o go back t o Canada
”
a fter th e war ?
“ ”
Oh ! After the war ! he echoed .
And a further echo o f that phrase seemed t o go o n

and o n interminably dying at last into a silence which
,
was only a S ign that it was s till travelling .
“
Yes . Barbara paused ; sh e too li stened to tha t
“
emp ty echoing . Y o u feel like that I t s no u se plan .
’
ning Yo u only get upset i f you t ry Th e only thing

. .
”
i s j ust to live from day to day .
They ceased t alking again thei r minds hanging o n ,
to th at
'
A fat man climbed up a ladder ; two
.
l o vei s came from behind a yew hedge and kissed in the —
sunshine ; three girls ran ou t laughing wi th roses in ,
their hands .
“
Looks j olly eh ? Nice even t o s ee a bi t o f fun
, .
Barbara nodded and a fi erce reaction o f you th ,
against the tremendous pressure o f suspense and pain

and sorrow t ook hold O f her .
I didn t mind having no fun when I was working

’
” “
in the hospital she said abruptly eagerly,
Bu t I m , .
’
simply fed up with being general servant at home .
All the other girls are doing something t ha t really ma t

ters and here am I I feel as i f I couldn t bear ’
”
i t any longer .
“
It s a grand thing making a home though he
’
, ,
said .
“
G rand ! That s all you know She sighed
’
. .
However Mother i s ill E lsie delica te and Father s

, , ,
’
business i s closed down s o I have n o choice o f , ,

”
course .
He cleared hi s throat staring a t the pictures ; then ,
s aid :
“
Plenty would have done di fferently ”
.
“ ”
Oh I don t know said Barbara but the very
,
’
, ,
absence o f glibness in hi s w ords carried conviction an d ,
she felt warmed and heartened in her turn as he had

been earlier in the conversation They sat together in .
an atmosphere o f mutual appreciation tha t made lik

ing grow very rapidly indeed .
”
I mus t go a fter this sh e said all a t once aware , ,
O f something ge t ting ahead o f her that she must arr e st

I 00 TH E S I LENT LEG I O N
sense o f frustration and disappointment What

we r e they unconsciously exp ecting tha t they did not
?
g t
e
Brooke blamed the band Barbara the tea cakes

.
-
.
At last the pauses in the conversation s o di fferent —
from th o Se pause s in the Cinema H all became so em —
b ar r as s i ng that Barbara rose from the table .
“
Well I must be O ff now Thank you s o much
, . .
”
N o indeed It i s I who have to thank you
, . .
Brooke accompanied her and as they walk ed the

,
o d d sense o f irritation began to wear o ff they found

themselves laughing and talking naturally as they
made their way through the cro w ded streets At the .
door o f 2 8 Chestnut Avenue however Barbara s sel f

, ,
’
consciousness again returned and she said nervously , ,
holding o u t her hand

“
Well good bye I am sorry I cannot ask you in
,
-
.
to day but Mo ther i s not very well Do come and see

-
, .
”
us some time before you leave .
“
Thank yo u You be t I shall
. .
Their hands loosed and they moved away from each

o ther both feeling unwilling to part like this But all
, .
the same there seemed nothing more to say Then .
Brooke saw M iss Pelling at the oppo s ite window .
“ ”
I kno w what I was going to ask you he said ,
“
has t ily : can you sugges t a toy for little Kitchener ?
”
He s no t O ld enough for a Teddy Bear
’
?
Barbara came back a few step s .
“
N0 Oh anything flu ffy and bright coloured that
.
,
”
makes a noise .
“
Sounds as i f you were describing a girl fo r a s u b o n
leave But I s pose males go o n having the same t astes
.
’
i n toys . Then he did realise tha t he w a s look

PIC TU R E S 101,
ing at Barbara s dimple and ceasing to talk sense ’

.
“
Miss Simp s on it would be fine i f you would go with ,
”
me to buy the toy he sai d directly pulling himsel f , ,
together .
“
I shall be shopping about eleven sh e said I , .
may see you in the to wn .
I m not sure i f I can get o u t o f course

“ ’
.
,
No ? Well in case you are , .
”
G ood bye -
.
They really parted thi s time and Barbara wen t up ,
the little path in t o the house .
Th e Simpsons s at round the table at thei r evening

meal dropping little phrases into the silence An
, .
engine shrieked at the end o f the Avenue A local .
evening paper lay across a chair with the grea t head

“ ”
line Air raid o n L ondon ! Before the meal was
-
quite finished M r Simpson pushed himsel f away from .
the table with hi s great stomach rose and went out , ,

“ ”
of the room G oing to have a pipe in the garden
.
,
he said .
M r s Simpson was left with her t wo daughters at the

.
table .
“ ”
Has Father be en put o u t a t the Office ? said
Barbara .
“
No said M rs Simpson
”
, A t least i t i s rather . .
,
trying to be found fault with and ordered about by a

man who was an office boy when he was an articled
clerk o f course And I think he ra ther hates having
, .
to click a sort o f thing when he goes in and ou t to ,
Show i f he i s punctual But he says it i s necessary and .
all right He doesn t worry about little things like

.
’
tha t really
, .
”
Then what i s it ? asked Barbara .
“
I believe it upsets him to think o f all those children
”
being killed and inj ured in the L ondon raids said ,
M rs Simpson
. Yo u know what he i s about children . .
“
It s all very well you talking about Go d s ending
’
trouble and working for th é best said E lsie suddenly , ,
looking up wi th her whi t e face from her almost u n

tasted meal Then sh e flung across a phrase like a
.
“ ”
gage : I don t believe G od cares tuppence ! ’
“
Hush dear said Mrs Simpson I know how you
, , .
,
feel and nobody can understand it all We can only

, .
”
trust and leave it .
Barbara glanced a t her mother s white face and ’
trembling hands and rose taking a dish from the , ,
table .
”
Thi s bee f will do for rissoles t o morrow won t it
’
? —
,
She said frowning a t E lsie , .
M rs Simpson put a hand t o her aching head

. .
“
Yes Put plenty o f lentils with it and then t here
.
will be enough I suppose yo u go t the lentils thi s .
”
a fternoon ?
“
I forgo t Barbara paused figh ting down her
.
,
O dd disinclination to speak o f Brooke and added

“
quickly : I met that soldier who came about L illie s ’
baby He was standing outside the Picture P alace

.
looking s o aw fully lonely that I wen t up to him I .
felt sorry .
A moment s pause then Mrs Simpson said ’

, .
“
Well it does seem hard that these Colonial soldiers
,
should come over to fight for E ngland and n o t find a

”
friend .
“
That s how I felt said Barbara eagerly So
’
.
,
when he asked me to go with him to the pictures o f ,

11 9 4 TH E S I LENT L EG IO N
I say that i s going it said E lsie languidly rous

, , ,
ing hersel f from her brooding silence .
It s only to buy a t oy for little Kitchener said

’
,
“ ”
Barbara He didn t quite know what to get
.
’
She .
“
paused and added wi th an e ff ort : Do you want me
”
n o t to ?
No dear As you have promi sed you mus t go

, . .
Only M rs S impson paused looking a t her

.
,
daughter .
“
I t will be all righ t Mother said Barbara impa , ,
t i en t l y . Y ou take the matter t oo seriously Yo u .
live in such a narrow groove tha t you don t understand ’
how men and girls go abou t t ogether now a days wi th - -
”
nobody thinking anything at all about it .
And as M r Simpson came into the room again at

.
t hat moment bringing a flower for his wi fe and a n e w

,
j oke about po tatoes the sub j e c t o f Brooke was allowed

,
t o drop .
CHAP T E R VI I
S I G NA LS
N E! T morning very early no t long a f ter dawn

,
Barbara awakened to hear the moving o f

,
stealthy footstep s in the house She immediately

.
thought o f burglars because some minor burglaries

,
had taken place in that part o f the city and her first ,
instinct was to prevent her mother from being startled .
So sh e threw o n a dressing gown and ran down with

—
o u t waiting to think what sh e would do wi th the burg
lar i f sh e go t him
.
But the actual creak o f a board and a fain t clatter

o f iron did give a check to her enterprise She crept .
very softly indeed to the kitchen door with her heart

throbbing against her ribs and peered in Then she .
leaned for a second against the doorpost the colour ,
coming back into her face and said most irritably

,
“ ”
What o n earth i s thi s ?
And indeed the black a vised gentleman who whirled
- -
round to face her with the whites o f his eyes rolling

nigger w ise in hi s grimy countenance and a red and
-
,
yellowish bath towel tied round hi s inflated middle

-
,
was su ffi ciently unlike the ordinary Mr Simpson o f .
Chestnut Avenue and the E mpress Wharf to make his

identity almost incredible He le t a blacking brush
.
-
1 05
fall noisily o n the fender and said with the oddest mix
ture o f caught guilt and d e fian c e
“
Wha t are you coming down now fo r ? It i s n o t
time ye t I I was just amusing mysel f blacking the
.
—
”
grate And hi s tone plainly added : Can t a man
.
’
ever have a little private amusemen t wi thout a lot

”
o f females nosing round ?
Barbara laughed but there was a very deep and

,
tender shining in those blue eyes behind the laughter

as she ran across the ki tchen and threw her arms round
him grime and all
, .
“ ”
Y ou silly silly o l d Dad ! sh e cried kissing him
, ,
.
Oh wha t a horrid tas t e o f soot ! But you don t take

,
’
me in with your bluster ; you caught sight o f me doing

”
the grate yesterday morn ing I kno w you ! .
“
Well I hate to s ee
, M r Simpson stood blus .
t e r i ngly o n the defensive again blacking brush in ,

-
hand .
3
“ ”
What nonsense ! interrupted Barbara You ve .
’
nicked my favourite j ob I love doing gra tes : there s

.
’
something to show fo r it .
“
Well I think I was getting o n fairly well
, He .
surveyed hi s handiwork with a sort o f proud humility .
“
Only i t seems to use ra ther a lot o f stu ff I can t .
’
help thinking it ra ther an extravagant method .
At thi s Barbara began to laugh again but softly , ,
lest sh e should waken the sleepers upstairs .
Oh dear ! Y ou don t know how funny you look !

’
Why you ve used enough blacklead to do every grate

,
’
do w n o n e side o f Chestnut Avenue Y o u are an o ld .
Silly Billy o f a father to get up in the middle o f the

night like this when yo u know how your new office
,
”
j ob takes i t ou t o f you .
1 08 TH E S I LENT LE G IO N
Thus she ran while M r Simpson drank with

on , .
relish and thought nobody in the world had such girls

,
as his girls But it was what they did not talk abou t
.
that t ouched them most and gave such an atmosphere ,
o f love and laughter to the little meal .
For instance Barbara knew well enough tha t her

,
father must have been awake a long time in the night

“
before hi s thoughts culminated in a fierce : She shan t ’
”
blacklead fire grates any more i f I know it ! and a
-
descent in a bath towel -

.
And M r Simpson kept to himsel f mainly because he

.
,
was not conscious o f it tha t ideal o f the middle class ,

-
man which i s o r was to keep his women folk in

— — -
idleness Such a man would chain himsel f to an office

.
desk for thir ty years to feel re w arded in the end i f he

could keep t wo servants inst ead o f o n e and hi s wi fe ,
and daughters need not even dust the drawing room -

.
Par t o f this was snobbi shness and the two maids a ,
S ign o f tha t caste which these men and their fathers

had worked and saved and sacrificed to gain o r keep ;
but the other part was pure chivalry the unique —
,
Anglo Saxon middle class sense o f chivalry towards

-
,
-
women which i s no t grea t er perhaps but di ff eren t

, , ,
in essence to any other .
Thus M r Simpson had no t stood fo r himsel f alone

.
as he kept vigil during the previous night bu t for a ,
million other such bald headed commonplace u nc on -

, ,
scious idealists .
When Barbara opened the front door to take in the

milk a scen t o f flowering beans came do w n the Avenue ,
as i f some country fairies were dancing through the

city and you could smell their fragrance withou t see ing
them S O Barbara s spirits danced t oo because Sh e
.
’
,
S I GNAL S 1 09
was young and healthy and als o though this went ,

—
unackno w ledged because sh e was going to meet

—
Brooke about eleven A little sense o f change and .
adventure came into her dull li fe w ith the though t o f

him which was very pleasant ; for sh e miss ed th e
emotional excitement o f her relation with Frank G ar
ret more than sh e knew though s h e did not want ,
him any longer S till he had filled a certain place

.
in her thoughts for so long that sh e was unconsciously

sensible o f a blank ; fo r sh e was not as E lsi e might ,
probably become a natural celibate There was a need

, .
in her fostered by G arret s discreet love making from

,
’
-
'
early girlhood which could only be satis fied by her
,
mate .
So now sh e smiled at the milk woman saying i t was -

,
a lovely morn ing and the little oldish rosy faced

, , ,
-
country woman smiled back

-
.
“
Oh ye s ; morning s all right But the price o f mea t
’
.
and everything ! I f thi s goes o n we shall have to

have a revolution .
“
She said it as casually as o n e might s ay— VVe shall
”
have to have a spring cleaning ; and went o ff clatter -
ing her cans .
But Barbara stood still for a minu t e looking a fter ,
her It was so odd to hear in such a way that terrible

.
suggestion o f blood and tears Th e woman did no t .
realise what her words held o f course but it was a , ,
startling S ign o f the way in which the tide passing over

R ussia had eddied into the remotest little inlets o f
E urope Barbara was vaguely startled as i f she had
.
,
come across a child in a buttercup fiel d playing wi th -
a live bomb .
Th e impression soon faded from her mind however , ,

and sh e went forth to do th e shopping with her baske t

“
o n her arm and that high unconscious G od s in Hi s ’
,
”
heaven All s right with the world which i s the nat
,
’
ural morning mood of such a girl as Barbara wh o ,
has t o spring up taut in the sunlight like a flower o n

the grassy side o f the road whatever i s going to pass
,
by that day .
S o freshly sel f poised did Barbara look t o Brooke

-
as he watched her come across the grea t square where ,
the t ide o f giving which has swept across and across

Fl o d mou th ever since the outbreak o f war once more ,
caught the passers by with little badges and tin boxes

-
.
Barbara put in her coin like all the rest beginning at ,
once to plan what sh e must go without because she

had given i t— j ust like all the rest too Because tha t , .
i s what giving mean s n ow among people such as the

Simpsons .
Then sh e looked up t o s e e Brooke s thin fi gure an d ’
worn face and hi s extraordinary bright and V ivid

glance seeking hers— compelling it She was keenly .
aware o f h i s alert gait which gave such an impression

‘
o f unspent energy despite his sti ff left arm

, .
“ ”
Oh lovely morning sh e said
, , .
”
Yes i sn t it glorious ?
,
’
But the banality o f their greeting was all part o f

something so natural and deeply appropriate that they
remained unaware o f it : indeed with all due deference ,
to M ilton it seems likely that when Adam first greeted

,
E ve he said it was a fine day fo r the apple blossom -

.
S O these t wo turned and walked together j ostled by ,
soldiers and sailors and women hurrying for the cars .
Brooke was ra ther silent trying to put a strong curb

,
on hi s excitement fo r he was conscious o f the folly

,
11 1 2 TH E S I LENT LEG IO N
But while such a conversation i s thrillingly inter

esting to take par t in it i s very dull to describe ; b e
,
cause even those who have held it canno t recall after

wards the delightful little shock o f thoughts unexpect
e d ly meeting and fusing and the spark w hich flies up ,
then lighting all existence for a lovely minute Such

, .
things refuse t o come back even in the happiest mem

o r i es .
When Barbara and her companion reached the t o y

shop o f which they were in search however thi s magic , ,
circuit was broken and a sense o f dull insu ffi ciency fell

upon them They became blankly sel f conscious and
.
-
disappointed groping without kno w ing it t o se t up

, , ,
the connection again This i s a moment when hal f.
lovers O ften feel disappointed w ith each other and say

“
t o themselves : H e — o r sh e— i s not wha t I thought ,
and so go away fo r ever .
Thus they entered the shop r ather like the p e acocks

who have been walking along thinking themselves ,
monarchs with S hining tails and now suddenly find ,
their tails have moulted : each wondering how they

can have been deceived by such a dull bird .
“ ”
Oh ! said Barbara to the attendant in a s t i ff u n ,
“
natural voice Have yo u any t oys for a baby
.
,
”
please ?
“
Our choice o f t oys i s limited said th e woman ,
severely She looked as i f she had never been a baby

.
“
and ha t ed toys War o f course How o l d i s your
.
, .
”
baby madam ?
,
“
Oh quite small
, .
”
Can t walk yet added Brooke gru ffly
’
, .
Th e grim spins t er cast upon them bo th a look o f

S I GNAL S 1 13
pitying tolerance and brought forth her most expensive

woolly toy which rattled dismally somewhere inside .
“
N oi sy : and soils quickly o f course But babie s , .
always love this doll and I find parents don t seem to ,

’
”
mind when it s the first ’
And once more sh e squeezed .
and shook with the same d r ear ilyJ contemptuous air ,
as i f long processions o f young parents who were fools

“
fi led through the pas t before her eyes I alway s .
“
I ll take it interrup t ed Brooke ; then he r emem
’
bered tha t Barbara had expressly come ou t with him

“ ”
to choose the toy : That is i f the lady likes i t , .
Barbara nodded and the woman signified approval

o f thi s quick purchase by a wintry smile and an o h
“
vi o u s l y over worked j est
-
I generally find ladies do .
choo se thi s when they come with their husbands sir , .
But as I always say no use taking both a husband ,
an d a purse out w ith you i s it madam ? E ither o n e , ,

”
o r the other She paused and drew forth a t ray o f
.
“
ivory rings . What about o n e o f these ? Whil e
you are doing ? Th e baby i s sure to need one and ,
”
they last for hal f a do z en i f required .
“
No thank yo u
,
said Brooke holding o u t the
, ,
money Then grasping the doll he walked ou t leaving

.
,
Barbara t o follow .
Th e woman looked after him and followed Barbara

to the door .
“
Please forgive me S he said and t o Barbara s , ,
’
“
i ntense surprise her eyes filled with tears I wouldn t ’
.
hurt the feelings o f any o n e serving at the Fron t n o t —
for worlds I lost a nephew o f my own there that was

.
like a son t o me And o f course your husband can t

.
’
be certain there s no knowing i f he will be there to

—
’
see even th i s baby t eething I m sure I mean t no ’
”
offence .
Barbara patted the woman s arm in her o wn emo ’

,
t i o n al state touched quite beyond th e occasion and ,
with her eyes also swimming i n tears .
“
Th e toy i s not for us sh e s aid We are n o t ,
”
married We were just buying it for a present
. .
“ ”
Well s o long as there i s no o ffence
, .
And the woman ga z ed a fter them wistfully for a

momen t be fore sh e wen t back into the shop .
They were talking more naturally and soon n o w,
entered the grimy looking arch w ay into the Market

Hall which seemed very dim and cool with its piles o f
,
fruit and bunches o f pink s and roses after the busy

s t ree t .
“
Here s the stall I go t o said Barbara
’
See that , .
young o fficer standing there ? H e s the woman s son ’ ’
and was in a grocer s shop I like him fo r not being’

.
”
a shamed to come here .
“ ”
Why should he be ? said Brooke I helped in .
a store i n Canada when I fi rst went o u t Th e man I .
was wi th at that tim e cam e over t o enlis t when I did

”
a splendid fellow !
“ ”
Where i s he n o w ? said Barbara choosing her ,
le ttuce carefully .
“
Oh he s fallen I went to se e hi s mo ther last week
,
’
. .
He d planted a garden for her o u t there and sh e was to

’
have gone t o him But he had to come w hen the war

.
broke ou t We all had I remember how we talke d

. .
i t over o n e night in Calgary twenty o f u s and I — —
d o be lieve any o n e o f t hem would have t urned thei r

backs on a million o f money i f i t had been off ered
shame He had had all the fr e sh dreams o f her girl

.
hood and sh e could never take that back again There .
must always be thi s secret bond between them .
She stared down at the flowers which Brooke had

given her letting people bump into her without being
,
su fficien tly conscious o f i t to evade them bewildered —
with the pu z zle o f li fe And Brooke t ramped by her

.
,
conscious once more o f the pain in his arm which he

had forgotten un t il he saw her blush crimson over
forehead and neck a t another man s greeting He did ’
.
not put hi s feeling down to thi s cause bu t rather to a ,
dull sense o f fatigue which made him suddenly not

care whe ther he ever saw Barbara again One o f
those strange withdrawals which accompany the begin
ning o f a great attraction ; as i f human nature i n sti nc
t i ve l y feared the stress o f wha t was coming .
At the e n d o f the Avenue Barbara stood s t ill and

t ook from him t he basket wh i ch h e had insisted o n
carrying with hi s good hand and in giving him the ,
toy sh e said arti fic i al ly

Dear little Kitchener ! H OW d e lighted he will be
”
with hi s present l Then sh e laughed at nothing .
“
Hope so Th e o l d girl in the shop seemed cert ain
.
”
O f it . And he t oo laughed aimlessly
, , .
Bu t sudden wi th those words there flashed across

their foolish unreality the quick recollection tha t they
had been for a moment in the eyes o f a fellow human,
being husband and wi fe It was thus the S h opwom

, .
an s thoughts had j oined them and they could n o t ye t

’
,
pu t themselves quite asunder— though they both

fought agains t t he u tter ridiculousness o f i t .
“
Well good bye Miss Simpson Thanks so much
,
-
,
.
fo r helping me t o choose .
S I GN AL S i 17
Oh not at all G ood bye

, .
-
.
But again a s o n the last occasion they made ready

, ,
t o part and suddenly could not let each other go ;

they must create a way by which they could still keep
hold o f a thread that might lead them back each t o
the o ther.
H e fumbled with the toy .
“
I don t believe I quite got the hang o f this thing
’
.
You couldn t j ust come round with me t o present it

’
,
”
could you ?
She waited a moment : No I have be e n ou t t o o ,
long already .
“
Oh o f course I ough t no t to trouble you You ve
, .
’
”
been aw fully good And he saluted and moved on
. .
But something about his figure as he turned away

a wi stful loneliness so at variance with hi s hardened
look and excessive vitality struck tha t same chord

—
in her th a t had made her go up and speak to him o u t

side the Cinema H all and struck it more deeply Her .
whole being was vibrating as sh e caught him up but ,
the fire which leapt into hi s eyes when her hand touched
his arm and he swung round t owards her made her ,
pause again .
“
I w a s wondering sh e began incoherently ,
would you come that i s I wondered i f you w ould

—
,
care to have tea with us to morrow afternoon and then

-
”
we could take the toy round afterwards ?
“
I should I should indeed he answered
—
,
.
But they both felt as i f they had just been losing

each other in a terrible ma z e where they migh t never
meet again and had somehow managed at the last
,
minute to catch each other by the hand They were .

i 18 TH E S I LENT LEG IO N
lef t a little breathless wi th the curious s t rain and sud

den relie f o f it .
“ ”
About four o clock ? ’
Ye s . I have massage t o morrow morning I e x -

.
”
peet I can get O ff at that time .
“
Then you d better le t me keep the t oy un til t o
’
”
morrow .
“
Thank you Oh that ll be splendid Nowhere
.
,
’
.
to pu t any thing in hospital .
They parted again some subtle instinct warning him

,
against o ff ering to walk all the way home with her .
He had already got so much every fibre in him

was now responsive to those delicate advances and
withdrawals in her .
Barbara had no sooner reached the house than she

began to wonder what o n earth had induced her to
invite a stranger t o tea o n a Saturday when Mr Simp .
s o n was a t home and sh e herself Wa s always p art i cu
l arl y busy Surely there was work enough in all c o n

.
,
science o n that day in a servantless household with

, ,
o u t going out o f the way to entertain soldiers So .
Barbara reasoned W ithin hersel f feeling quite certain ,
that sh e did not want to see Brooke so soon again and ,
yet restless until he came Her household tasks were

.
per formed wi th a furious energy tha t le ft no place for

though t ; and yet all the time she was conscious o f a
thousand p ricking regrets and embarrassments which
s h e intended to put right in hi s eyes by her digni fi ed
and charming demeanour when they next me t .
Why had sh e said this ? Why had sh e n ot said

that ? Why had she looked so ?
And then a sudden t ide o f warm th came flowing all
1 20 TH E S I LENT L EG IO N
thing bu t bread and margarine and surreptitiously ,
trying to make him eat what remained o n the dish .
S o a fter a while he grew more alert and cheerful t ell ,
ing them various scraps o f n ews from the t own accor d

ing to his usual habit .
Saw Binny to day H e seems a bi t sh y o f me I

-
. .
think he feels uncom fortable about not giving me a

”
j “
o—
b t hough he did o ffer .
I hope he does said E lsi e Bu t you re all righ t

, .
’
”
where yo u are .
“
Oh o f course said M r Simpson ra ther heavily
, , . .
He had been reprimanded during the a fternoon by the

o ffice boy o f hi s o wn day a t Wagsta ffe s for some ’
clerical error and still felt sore and ashamed t o be ,
sore : a complicated and unpleasan t feeling .
“ ”
It s hard to come down in business said M rs
’
, .
S impson “
Nobody knows bu t those who have done
.
it
Well Father may be going down in the w or ld
, ,
“
cried E lsie fiercely but h e s gone up in o u r thoughts ;
,
’
hasn t he Mother ? Hasn t he Barbara ? I think

’
,
’
,
Dad s every bit as splendid as Uncle Horace who

’
,
went to the Front He s lost nearly every thing and

.
’
,
i s having a perfectly piggy time and no pay hardly , , ,

”
and n o t making a fuss I think he s simply splendid .
’
.
M r Simpson got up from the table and took his pipe

.
from the chimney piece After a moment o r t wo he

-
.
“
turned round : I say girls I ve thought o f a riddle :
, ,
’
Where d o you go up when you think you re going ’
”
down ? Why South Pole O f course
,
And he , .
chuckled .
E lsie once more felt keenly i rrita t ed by thi s speci

“
men o f Father s j okes which the girls had learn ed
’
,
S I GN AL S
to regard with impatient tolerance almost from their

cradles but M rs Simpson looked across at her husband
, .
and thought wistfully how dear he was ; because sh e

had come to that stage in human li fe when we kno w
that o u r loved ones are loved most in t imat ely j us t for
the lit tl e things w e laugh a t in them
.
CHA P T E R V III
S AT U RD A Y A F T E R N OON
T was early Saturday a fternoon tha t M i ss Pell

I
on
ing stood in her little front garden gazing up i n to

the sky G ladys was close behind her and the strange
.
,
new sound which had come to mingle with the o l d

F l o d mou th noises buz z ed insistent through the scream -
s
ing o f an engine Th e bird like thing moved quickly

.
-
over the roo fs o f the houses .
“
An aeroplane .
“
Yes ; I hate em said Miss Pelling
’
, .
”
So do I said Gladys still goggling though th e
, , ,
obj ect o f her search had disappeared into the blue

“
grey distance They re wrong I f we d been meant
’ ’
. .
to fly we should ha been given wings o n o u r shoul

’
ders .
“
Nonsense ! replied Mi ss Pelling briskly
”
You .
might as well say i f we were meant to go by tra in

”
we should have been given boilers in o u r insides .
S o G ladys retired and Miss Pelling remained to greet

,
M r Binny and M r Simpson wh o were walking down

. .
,
the street at that moment talking with the sort o f ,
important and confidential seriousness which had been

absent from their conversation for some time .
“ ”
Y o u are quite right M r Simpson was saying
, . .
An unprotected lady the man lodging only next

I 22
'
12
Simpson said Mr Binny putting a finger o n hi s

, .
,
“
friend s sleeve that i s j ust where you are to blame
’
y ou and your like ; you think too well o f human na

t ure Thi s war would never
.
Then they had to return Miss P e ll i ng s salutation

’
at close quarters and the conversation was broken o ff

,
for the present When both gentlemen stood outside.
the iron gate and the lady j ust within M r Binny gave , .
a conspirator s glance up and down the Avenue and

’
said in a very low voice

“
W e were j ust speaking o f your nex t door neigh -
bour I believe I saw him bringing you a basket o f

.
flowers and vege t ables last evening quite by acciden t —

,
o f course and I thought it only right to give yo u a

—
word o f warning .
Miss Pelling started and glanced a t M r Simpson .

,
but hi s face was also bode ful and glum .
”
There s nothing wrong wi t h the man i s there ?
’
,
she said H e seems a very agreeable neighbour and

.
”
perfectly harmless .
They all do chanted M r Binny from somewher e

“ ”
.
,
deep in hi s cadav e rous stomach .
“
We j ust thought we ought to give you a hin t ,
”
tha t s all said M r S impson more lightly “
Th e man
’
, . .
certainly wears a wig and only goes o u t a fter sunse t .
”
And M r Binny thought o f your unprotected state
. .
“ ”
Did he ? said Miss Pelling ; then sh e seemed t o
bite o ff some further remark and added calmly : ,
Well i t i s very kind o f you both But in my opinion

, .
M r Montgomery i s perfectly all righ t Thank yo u

. .
,
”
all the same .
“
Perhaps sugges ted M r Binny nervously it
might be as well no t t o accep t any more gi f t s from
.
, ,
S AT U R D AY AFTE RN OO N 1 25
him O n the principle

. Ha ! Ha ! Fear the gi fts
”
o f the G reeks !
“ ”
Oh ! Again M iss Pelling paused and an i n sc ru
“
table look crossed her face Th e fruit and vegeta
bles were delicious They came from a friend o f .
M r Montgomery s near Bradford

.
’
.
“
Well o f course they may have done It was only
, .
that w e felt it right to give you a hint Wasn t that .

’
”
so, Simpson ? said M r Binny beginning to move .
,
away .
“
L ady alone kindness the only motive I m ,
’
”
sure muttered M r Simpson also vaguely discon
, .
,
c e rt e d by something in M iss Felling s attitude

’
.
Her door closed o n polite farewells Th e two gen .
tl em e n walked a few steps down the street in silence .
“ ”
Simpson then said M r Binny with a red face
, .
, ,
I believe sh e thinks I am j ealou s — j ealous o f a lodger

from goodness knows where in a wig ! That shows
w hat it i s to do a kindness to a woman He may .
poison her with his green peas in future fo r all I shall

”
do to preven t it !
“
Never mind ! said M r Simpson ”
i f sh e does .
,
think you re j ealous she ll only be flattered

’ ’
.
“ ”
I don t care what sh e thinks said M r Binny v i o
’
, .
l e nt l y going towards his o wn gate ; bu t I shall keep

,
my eye o n t hat man for the sake o f the Avenue .
Barbara was preparing tea in the kitchen in a fume ,
o f irrita t ed sensibility very unlike her usual clear sel f
c ontrol She regretted having invited Brooke and

.
,
said to hersel f tha t she hoped he would not come bu t ,
when four o clock was past and E lsie said casually

’
“
Your soldier s evidently no t going to turn up Bar
’
,
bara , experienced an extraordinary sense o f i rri

sh e
t at i o n and her heart began to beat not in its normal

, , ,
unnoticed fashion but with a thud thud thud which

, , , ,
made her feel slightly sick She wanted B rooke to .
come quickly sh e never wanted t o see him again .
Oh it was perfectly hateful !

,
Th e clock ticked (in as she s at there s o quiet t o look ,
a t bu t consumed within by an intolerable restlessness .
Tick ! Tick ! went the clock and the F l o dmou th ,
noises outside sounded louder and louder wi th the same

sort o f hideous cadence they took o n when o n e was ill
and had a high t emp erature Summ Summ .
Summ . And tha t hideous high shriek o f the e n

gine which o n e watched fo r and found unbe arabl e
when it came .
“ ”
Barbara said Mrs Simpson placidly
, .I think .
w e had better have tea Will you tell your father ?

.
I saw him outside a minute ago with M r Binny . .
“ ”
Oh yes Quarter to fi ve
, . .
Barbara went out smiling ; but as she was pouring

the h o t water into the tea pot she felt a sudden leap -
,
o f the pulses and an almost uncontrollable anger He .
should come ! He must come !

She carried the t ea pot down the passage physically
-
,
troubled by thi s strange unwonted gust o f anger that

,
had assailed her But when the i ron gate clicked and
.
a lert footsteps hurried up the path sh e was able to ,
answer the door and call o u t in a cool pleasant tone , ,

“ ”
Oh good a fternoon M r Brooke ! so that no o ne
, , .
living could have guessed how her knees shook under

her in the sudden relief from suspense .
M rs Simpson also came forward holding o u t a co r

.
,
d ial hand .
fi lling the tea pot and pouring fresh tea a sort o f p as

-
,
sion lit space enveloped him and her and produced

-
,
the illusion that the rest were a long way O ff .
Then M r Simpson asked Barbara a direc t question

.
,
and sh e had t o j oin in the conversation though the ,
extreme distance be t ween her w ords and what was

going o n unspoken made her seem stilted and formal
, .
After a while she unconsciously ceased t o answer o r

make those fla shing signals and blank nothingness ,
s t retched be tween her and Brooke : s o he too becam e , ,
formal and felt vaguely disappointed without knowing

,
why .
But they had both longed so intensely fo r this mee t

ing and built such impossible hopes upon it after the ,
,
fashion o f lovers that they were now su ff ering a r eac

,
t ion Brooke listened mechanically to M r Simpson s

. .
’
anecdotes : S o the soldier said I ve already had my ,

’
”
face washed nineteen t imes miss and to the
, ,
clang clang ! o f the car bell i n the dis tance

,
-
.
Brooke began to wi sh he had not come He sat .
there unwilling to go and equally unwilling t o stay

, ,
while Barbara began to feel a blind unreasoning irri ta

t ion agains t everybody B rooke included He was
,
.
somehow failing her sh e was not getting what sh e

—
wanted something fo r which her whole being was

—
keyed up fo r and expectan t and yet sh e did no t know

—
w hat she wanted .
H e saw more clearly It was plain enough t o him

.
tha t i f he could but ge t rid o f the Simpson family and

be alone with Barbara— even though they only ta lked
o f the weather there migh t be some chance o f re
—
establi shing that wonderful state o f things which h e

”
men tally called hi t ting i t o ff t oge ther .
SATU R D AY AFTE RN OO N 1 29
At last he rose to take his leave and said : Well , ,
I think I must be going o n to interview thi s baby no w ,
M rs Simpson Your daughter kindly said sh e woul d

. .
help me to brave the lady in charge and present the

toy I m ra t her frightened o f M r s Hobby sh e does
.
’
.
—
seem s o capable I have a feeling sh e migh t smack me

.
”
and send me to bed .
“ ”
Oh ! M rs Simpson hesitated unable t o efuse ;
.
,
r
but Mr Simpson came to the rescue wi th the obtuse

.
“
ness not rare in the fathers o f pretty daughters L o ok .
” “
here Brooke he announced handsomely I ll wal k
, , ,
’
wi th you as far I am going that way to see the Vicar

.
about some Coal Club accounts which I audi t Ki ll .
”
two birds with one stone eh ? And he accompanied ,
hi s gues t o u t into the little hall feeling sure tha t any ,
man must prefer hi s society to Barbara s ’

.
“
Thank you very much said Brooke withou t eu
”
, ,
th u s i a s m
“
G ood bye Mrs Simpson
.
-
G ood bye , . .
-
,
Miss E lsie He kept Barbara for th e last hoping

.
,
agains t hope tha t sh e would o ffer to accompany her

fa ther and yet finding h i msel f u n abl e to suggest i t be ,
ca use o f some subtle withdrawal in her a t titude which

made him uncert ain o f her wishes Di dn t sh e a fter .
’
,
all want to come ?

, And sh e could n o t break the
spell which her o wn emotions and the presence o f her
family laid on her ready to ngue For some p repos .
t e ro u s reason which sh e vaguely despised and failed t o

“
understand sh e was unable t o say plump ou t : I ll
, ,
’
”
come too Father , All her clear simplicity seemed to
.
have departed as she touched Brooke s hand murmur ’

,
“
ing : G ood bye I hope your arm will soon be qui te
-
.
be tter .
L ooks like i t And he got himsel f a few s teps

.
nearer to the door Scarcely hope to s ee you again

. .
I m going t o Scarcli ff e the beginning o f the week I

’
,
”
expect .
Beauti ful air : you ll like that said M r Simpson ’

, .
,
Oh you ll love the se a bathing said E lsie

,
’
-
, .
They stood for a moment in a group round the fron t

door then the two men de t ached themselves walking
, ,
away down the Avenue M r Simpson was talking . .
and they could hear his familiar chuckle A few yards .
away Brooke looked over hi s shoulder and Barbara

waved her hand bu t s o did M r s Simpson and E lsie
, . .
I wonder i f we shall ev e r see him again sai d ,
E lsie closing the door

, .
“
Most likely not He will no doubt re turn t o .
”
France af ter a few weeks ligh t duty a t Scarcli ffe ’
,
said M r s Simpson going back into the room

.
,
“
Bu t .
I am very glad to have shown him a little attention ;

he has behaved s o well about that child has he no t , ,
”
Barbara ?
M r s Simpson t ook up her kni t ting as she wai t ed for
.
a n answer bu t the eyes o f her soul were ben t o n her

,
daughter .
“
Oh yes ; he seems quite a decen t sort said Bar
, ,
“
bara a f ter a momentary pause Well I d better get .
,
’
”
t his t ea cleared away .
“
Yes ; the bread and butter will do for supper - -
,
said M rs Simpson readily at once allowing the door

.
,
to be closed in her face She could not overcome thi s .
delicacy which had perhaps allo w ed the girls to o much

freedom but which had given room for something
,
very vital and real t o grow up in them Th e same .
q uali ty brough t her many affectionate acquaintances

Y ou asked him and then ac ted as i f you didn t much

,
’
want him .
“ ”
Wha t ro t ! said Barbara Your imaginat ion .
”
runs away wi th you .
“ ”
Well said E lsie my imagina t ion makes me se e
, ,
real things sometimes that o ther people can t ; and ’
my advice to you Miss Barbie i s t o leave tha t young

, ,
”
man alone .
“
I n ever though t o f doing anything else said Bar ,
bara .
“
Well you won t have a chance Bu t he i sn t the
,
’
.
’
kind yo u can send o ff and whistle back and do as you

like wi th : no Bellerby t actics wi l l succeed wi th h i m ,
”
my girl .
H o w ridiculous yo u are ! As i f there wer e any

”
i dea o f anything ! cried Barbara .
“
I ve eyes in my head i f I am only fi f teen sai d
’
,
“
E lsie Th e way he looked at you ! However h e s
’
.
,
gone n o w and you will pro bably never see him any
,
”
more .
And as Barbara wen t down the s tairs those words

echoed drearily through the house o r so it seemed to ,
her though they were only echoing and re echoing in

,
-
her o wn mind .
M r Simpson returned a f ter a while saying that he

.
h a d met Frank G arret ; they stopped to speak and he ,
was introduced to Brooke whom he had remembered ,
seeing with Barbara in the town o n Friday morning .
“
Asked i f he were a Canadian cousin when I said the ,
young man came from Canada— green —eyed monster ,
eh Barbara ? He seemed worried t o hear it wasn t

,
’
”
e ven a hal f cousin -
.
S ATU R D AY AFTE R N OO N 1 33
For M r Simpson felt convinced that h i s daughter

.
and Frank G arret would make a match o f it in the

end and that her present at titude was only a needed
,
discipline which sh e w as giving her tardy lover He d .

’
taken hi s time n o w she would take hers and Mr

,
—
.
Simpson approved but thought it should no t go o n to o

,
long In the present insecurity o f every thing he clung

.
to the idea o f having o n e daughter safely establi shed

who might a ff ord an asylum to her sister and mother
i f anything happened to him : fo r the old security had
gone from the Avenue and from F l o dmou th and from
li fe they had whether or no to live dangerously
—
, , .
L ater in the afternoon M r S impson once more .
acutely realised the change which war had brought in t o

the men tal a tmosphere He was si t ting in a back .
room with the V i car who had been o u t when he called

,
and had followed him later to NO 2 8 Th e Coal . .
Club accounts were in order o n the table and the two ,
men sat for a few minutes talking o f parish ma tters .
Then the Vicar suddenly said

“
Simpson will you tell me the truth i f you know
,
it ? Why do the congregations get smaller every

Sunday ? I work my heart ou t managing with no ,
Curate and taking all the daily services myself G od .
knows how we get along ourselves on the stipend wi th ,
the price o f everything doubled but we do I don t , .

’
want t o s ay an yt hing about that Only it seems ter .
r i b l y hard to s e e less and less interest taken in the
Church and everything connected with it I know I .
must have failed somewhere bu t I can t t ell where ,

’
.
”
I feel beaten Simpson , .
Hard work a delicate family poor food and a high

, ,
s t rung n e rvous constitution had sapped M r W al ter s s

,
.
’
power o f resi stance or he could never have done the ,
thing he did then which was t o hide hi s face in hi s

,
“
hands and say with a sor t o f groan : Oh Simpson , ,
it s agony ! I see my people groping for com fort and

’
,
I don t seem able to help them They don t want me

’
.
’
.
They don t want the Church And yet we ought to

’
.
be giving o u t strength and com fort I go t o se e those .
who have lost sons and husbands and they look at ,
me so terribly asking why G od lets it all happen

,
and I can t tell them I don t know mysel f I

’ ’
.
can only tell them to trust And they want a de fi nite .
answer .
M r Simpson fidgete d with the papers ; though he

.
and the Vicar had been in timately associated in Church

work during several years they had never before ,
talked t ogether about their faith in G od He found it .
impossible t o say anything about that so he replied ,

“
u ncom for tably : Yo u do your bes t E very o n e knows .
yo u do your bes t Your own s on i s a prisoner You

. .
“
can t do any more
’
He paused All places o f wor
. .
s hip have diminished congrega t ions .
Th e Vicar uncovered hi s face which was whi t e and ,

“
d rawn and ra ther mean o f feature Well I mus t go .
,
”
home and write my sermon for t o morrow nigh t he -
,
said rising
, .
“
E very o n e kn ows h o w care fully you prepare your
sermons said Mg S impson seeking to give com fort
” "
, , , .
“
Binny was only, (remarking last week how scholarly
”
they were and wel l expressed .
A faint light glimmered over the Vicar s face the ’
sign o f that indestructible suscep tibili ty o f the preacher

“
o r writer to public praise I m glad Binny liked it ” ’
. .
Th e n his look clouded again “

I don t know how it .
’
TH E S I LENT LEG IO N
‘
1 36
not be in his way but quite surely all the prayers and
,
a gonies o f those who wanted light were flowing into
unseen channels working in silence on the t reme u

—
dou s scale o f the Creator I t was perhaps a faint con

.
-
a
sc i o u sn e ss o f t his deep beyond knowledge o r reason

, ,
which j ust kep t the Vicar from despair .
Bu t n o S ign o f these things was apparent in his

h eari ng as h e pulled up t o speak wi th mechanical
c he e rfulness to M iss Pelling ab ou t h e r hospital work
'
and th e n plodded on once mor e t o his b e la te d tea

.
CHA PTE R I!
TH E A M AT E U R DE TE C T I VE S
R OM the outside No 2 8 Chestn ut Avenue looked

, .
much as it had ever done a com fortable mid —

,
dle class residence lived in by well clad s u fli c i e n tly fed

- -
,
people But to ano ther way o f seeing it was a little

.
house standing hal f dismantled and forlorn

-
Th e .
storm o f war had indeed torn across i t with such star

tling suddenness that those inside were yet ga thering
W hat remained to them from among the wreckage wi th
a kind o f patient surprise .
In thousands o f houses even in Fl o dmou th others , ,
were doing the same ; silently without a tear that ,
could be seen they were getting o n with thi s fi rst work

,
o f reconstruction which has to come before all the rest .
But almost every day their hearts were hurt afresh by

wanting something that had been spoilt o r broken .
For ins tance M r s Simpson s birthday came and there

, .
’
,
was no present from Jim though he had always bought

,
her o n e with his o wn pennies since he was two And .
now it was the August Bank H oliday which th e Simp

sons had annually spent W ith Uncle Horace at hi s
pleasant suburban villa They had sometimes wished
.
they w e re n o t going but now they thought o f him

,
coming o u t t o gree t th em wi th hi s light sui t and h i s

1 37
sweet pea in his button hole and his unenthusiasti c

- -
wi fe in the background and they longed inexpressibly ,
— o r at least M r and Mrs Simpson did for such a

. .
—
, ,
sunshiny day to come again .
But M r Simpson did n o t seem a t all like this as h e

.
shouldered hi s spade o n this August Bank Holi day

and wen t forth to dig his o wn new potat oe s n o r di d —
t he other F l o d mou th folk in like case There was .

,
indeed quite a pleasant sylvan chorus murmuring

,
through the town .
“
Seen my peas ? Wonderful peas !
My p o tat i e s are a pictur e — you should com e along
”
and have a look at them .
N o w I have a vegetable marrow

,
Bu t though it all sounded so trivial it had helped ,
thousands o f sorrow ful people in E ngland to keep

sane in mind and body un t il the very worst o f their
suspense o r sorrow was over and it had also made ,
potatoes so plenti ful t ha t they could be sold in the

'
midst o f war time for a penny a pound As M r

-
. .
Simpson and M r Binny came down the Avenue to .
gether comparing the size o f the po tatoes in thei r

,
baskets they were no t j ust a tall thin man and a little

, ,
fat o n e talking rather foolishly about gardening

they were a S ign o f the tremendous latent vitality of
E ngland which is every w here only awai t ing the right ,
call .
These two gentlemen w ere both o n an errand o f

gallantry taking an o ff ering to little Mrs Du Caine at
,
.
the end o f the street M r Simpson s po t atoes o f hi s

. .
’
best but put in carelessly ; M r Binny s mos t nea tly

, .
’
packed with a sprig o f mint on the top A few

, .
minu t es lat er M r Wilson also walked ponderously by

, .
1 4
”
But s h e doesn t nurse does sh e ? said Barbara ’
, .
No I think S he i s somehow attached to the H o s

.
”
pi tal run by her mother i n law - -
.
”
Hullo Barbie exclaimed E lsie
, Blanche has
, .
bested you again ! You never got your picture pub

l i sh e d anywhere even a fter sticking at it for over two
,
”
years here and at Bournemouth
, .
Barbara laughed .
“
I m sure I don t care
’
L ook at the milita ry ’
.
awards ! They say nearly all the men do things worthy

o f a decoration over and over again only nobody ,
”
happens to s ee .
That s it Well they don t do it for that

’ ’
.
, .
And dimly a feeling too vague fo r thought glo w ed , ,
in the hea rts O f the little group they didn t do i t ’
for that either , .
M r s Du Caine spoke
. .
“
I hear that wounded soldier who came to see abou t
”
Mi ss P e ll i ng s L illie s baby i s still at Scarcliffe
’ ’
.
Barbara moved a plate and said her

“
eyes o n it : Who told you 8 0 ? Has some o n e heard
”
from him ?
“
Yes ; Miss Pelling Seems she had a letter from .
him thi s morning H e expects to leave for the Front.
in about three weeks Hi s arm has mended wonder .
”
fully quickly in that fine air .
”
He behaved very w ell announced M r Simpson , .
once again I walked with him mysel f t o M r s

. .
Hobby s where the child i s being brought up He

’
,
.
”
said it had eyes j ust like hi s brother s ’
.
“ ”
Y o u never t old us that before said Barbara , .
No didn t think o f it In my opinion

’
.
”
W o w oo o h ! in terru p t ed Mrs Du Caine s young
’
- -
.
TH E AM ATEU R D ETE C T I VE S 1 4
11
est baby— and the peaceful group being broken up ,
there was no more mention o f Brooke .
On the following Saturday a fternoon Miss Pelling

was in her garden entertaining little Kitchener from a
sense o f duty which prompted her to se e for herself
i f the child were well and happy Verbal c o mmu n i ca
.
tion o n thi s point with the party most concerned being

impossible sh e set him o n her knee sent M r s Hobby
, , .
to take tea in the kitchen and anx iously scrutinised

,
hi s limbs and general appearance He already seemed

.
less fretful than o n first arrival and smiled at the red

,
flower which Miss Pelling dangled before him A .
gentle peace lay o n all the little back gardens at thi s

'
hour and from over the wall o n the right came a gentle
,
but none the less quite audible snore From the o n e .
on the left came the gentle Chink o f a tea cup proving -

,
th at M r Binny took t ea in the open air after an

.
unusually trying week a t business complica ted by a

,
slight liver attack .
From where he sat he could not avoi d seeing the

domestic group o n the other side o f the wall in a sort
o f ha z y silhouette agains t the sunshine Nothing .
de fin ite but in the general eff ect o f Miss P el li n g s neat

,
’
head and erect fi gure as sh e waggled the red flower ,
he saw something rather intimately charming .
Without any definite in tention o f making advances

—
and yet knowing in the pleasantly titillated depths
o f him that it was an advance— h e moved t o t he wall ,
coughe d and remarked

“
Delightful weather . Tha t i s — e r a favoured —
young person .
Bu t a t that precise moment the snores over the

1 4
other wall ceased perhaps owing to Mr Binny s cough

, .
’
and the lodger got up settled his tie rubbed hi s ey e s, ,
and said pleasantly

Delightful a ftern oon Miss Pelling , .
”
Beauti ful ! said Mi ss Pelling addressing bo th ,
gentlemen by moving her head first in o n e direction

and then in the o ther She was a very sensible high .
,
spirited woman but the fact remain s though no doubt

,
—
new conditions can alter the laws o f nature that the —
presence o f t wo males endeavouring to attract atten

tion has thus far power t o stimulate the most sensibl e
female .
“
Fine laurel t ha t said M r Binny ignoring M r
, , .
, .
“
M ontgomery and assuming an intimate ai r When I .
planted it fo r you Mi ss Pelling I scarcely , ,
thought
Those laurels grow in every cottage garden where
“
I come from ; they remind me O f home said Mr ”

, .
Montgomery .
M r Binny li fted his head like a war horse sligh tly

.
-
past its prime but with a lot o f kick still available

, .
“ ” “
Your home s i r ? he said May I ask where you
, .
”
formerly resided ?
“
Neighbourhood o f Bradford replied M r Mon t , .
gomery with what M r Binny felt to be intentional

, .
vagueness As I was saying before to you Mi ss ,
Pelling
”
I hate mignonette ! said M r Binny de fi an t ly ; .
coarse growing thing I consider it

-
,
.
“ ”
Ah ! said M r Montgomery gathering up hi s
.
,
“
newspaper I dare say you re no flo w er lover Odd
.
’
.
thing some men don t

,
’
“ ”
R oses ! in t erposed Miss Pelling has t ily lik e one ,
1 4
so he straightened his back advanced to the wall , ,
coughed and made himsel f o fficially visible

, .
“
L ooks like rain .
M i ss Pelling gave the sligh t star t which i s deemed

correct and answered in a company voic e
,
“
Oh tha t you M r Binny ? Yes the weather does
, , .
,
”
seem to be breaking up .
She wore a magnificent spray o f m i gnonet te and ,
this may have unconsciously inspired Mr Binny s next .

’
remark : anyway he came very close to the wall ,

“
dropped hi s voice and said gravely : M iss Pelling I ,
have been feeling inwardly a li ttle uncom fortable o f

”
late .
“
Oh ! Do let me get you some o f the peppermin t
” “
cordial I always have by me she said It i s a mos t , .
excellent remedy .
M r B inny flushed sligh tly

. .
“
I was no t referring t o— e r physical symptoms —
,
“
he said Th e fact i s yo u are a lady living quite
.
,
”
unprotected and alone He paused It cannot be . .
denied tha t M iss Pelling wondered wi th a faint thrill , ,

“
what was coming You have t o be careful about
.
”
your neighbours he concluded , .
Something very deep within M iss Pelling cried o u t

” “
I s tha t all ? Bu t sh e answered bri skly : What o n
earth do you mean Mr Binny ? Are you thinking o f
, .
s t ealing my silver I f so I may as well t ell you i t i s

?
,
”
a t the bank .
M r Binn y aff orded her the politeness o f a mechan

.
“
i cal smile be fore continuing : You may have noticed
Mon tgomery wears a wig W h y does he wear a wig .
“ ”
Because h e s bald I suppose said M iss Pelling
’
, , ,
r a th er surprised .
TH E AM ATEU R D ETE C T I VE S 1 45
M r Binny came closer
. His knees touched the .
bricks hi s chin j ust hung over the top o f the wall

, .
“ ”
But is he bald ?
Th e portentous gravity o f M r Binny s t one caused .

’
M iss Pelling also to press close to the wall looking up , ,
but she said no thing .
I f he s n o t bald why does he wear a wig pursued

’
M r Binny
. .
“
I don t know said Miss Pelling
’
, .
” “
Ah ! said M r Binny That s j ust it
’
. . .
They rested o n this fo r a moment ; then M iss Pel

ling shook o ff the t o o intense gravity o f the mental
atmosphere .
”
What nonsense ! sh e caid You really can t .
’
pretend he has a G erman accen t It s E nglish and .

’
, ,
what s more it s West R iding You can t have any

’
,
’
.
’
”
thing much more E nglish than that can you ? ,
“
Um ! There s no knowing
’
.
Binny s pauses held far more than his words

’
.
“
Y o u don t mean to s ay And Miss Pelling
’
influenced against her will also dealt in impressive ,
pauses She stared up a t him and he stared down

.
a t her .
“
I say nothing Th e crux o f the situa t ion lies in
.
t his : i s he bald o r i s he not bald ? I f he i s then the

, ,
use o f a wig i s legitimat e o f course But i f he i s , .
not
”
Yes ?
They goggled a t each other pausing again o ntha t ,
a pause fuller than ever o f a number o f things .
“ ”
Is it because h e wants t o conceal his hair ? asked
M r Binny
. .
“ ”
You mean a disgu ise ? murmured Mi ss P e lling .
1 4
I say nothing repeated M r Binny But you

, . .
are a woman o f keen perceptions and clear thoughts .
Why w o u l d a man with brown hair wear a grey wig

o r vice versa
“
There certainly i s something not open about the
”
idea agreed M iss Pelling
, .
“
And those papers he i s always writing and never
”
visibly posting ?
“ ”
And his going ou t only after dark ? added Miss
Pelling .
“
Possibly to take them t o a distant post o ffice su g ,
gested M r Binny . .
“
It certainly doe s look o d d when you begin to ,
think about it .
Blacker and blacker grew the shado w upon M r .
M ontgomery Closer and closer drew M iss Pelling

.
and Mr Binny . .
I think we ought to do some thing said M iss ,
“
Pelling by now rather anxious hersel f
, We ought to .
fi nd o u t definitely i f he i s all right or n o t I f he is we .

,
a re doing him a great inj ustice I f he i s not we ought .

,
to inform the police But i f we inform the police and .
he turns o u t to be quite harmless he will leave the ,
Avenue and Mi ss Brown will lose a good lodger fo r

nothing And She has a hard enough struggle to keep
.
”
her o l d mother as it is M iss Pelling paused and the .
,
j oys o f the amateur detective vanished before the

“
thought o f poor harassed Miss Brown ,
Oh M r .
, .
Binny I don t think there i s any real need to interfere

,
’
,
do you ? 2 ’
“
We must think o f our country said M r Binny , .
,
a n d he threw o u t hi s chest as he spoke believing him ,

1 4
loved the o l d to w n unawares as M r Simpson did and , .

,
M iss Pelling and many others who o ften said they

,
disliked it When he go t home he read during the

.
Sunday midday meal as usual but the words failed to ,
convey ideas because he was going over in hi s mind

the programme o f the a fternoon Precisely at tw o he .
t ook up a bo ok and went to Miss P ell i ng s door ’

.
“ ”
Oh ! I s M iss Pelling at home ? and he di splayed
the book t o a ff ord a pre t ext for his visit .
Y es; will you walk in ? sai d G ladys already i n

“ ”
,
outdoor a ttire having been given a long af t ernoon s

,
’
h o h d ay .
He en t ered and the d o or o f the room closed upon

,
him Miss Pelling was di scovered bending over a

.
fish i n g rod -
.
“ ”
You ve found i t then ? said Mr Binny in a l o w
’
, .
“
tone advancing with eagerness
, Does it ru n all .
”
right ?
“
Y e s ; haven t had it o u t for y e ars bu t I pu t i t
’
,
”
away carefully .
“ ”
H ush ! I s that hi s s t ep ?
Th e room was at the back o f the house and they ,
could hear heavy footsteps through the open window .
“
He s going into the garden said Miss Pelling
’
,
“
tensely glancing at the clock
,
He ll S it down in h i s .
’
usual place near th e wall under the lilie bush In t en .
”
minutes he will be asleep .
“
We will remain by the window and speak very
”
so ftly directed Mr Binny
,
. .
Th e front door banged M r Binny and Miss Pelling . .
started violently .
“
Only G ladys going o u t breathed M iss Pelling , .
Th e house seemed in t ensely quiet .

TH E AMATEU R D ETE C T IV E S 1 4
9
I hope you have put o n a large strong hook , ,
whispered Mr Binny . .
“
Yes You ought to be removing your boo t s now
. .
”
It will save t ime said M iss Pelling , .
m
“
I scarcely like began M r Binny drawing in .
,
hi s boots as a ute protest against stocking feet in the -
presence o f a lady .
“
Bosh ! I f it were your s h i r t when it s your duty —
’
”
to E ngland l retorted Miss Pelling .
“ ”
Very well said M r Binny rather sti ffly and he
, .
, ,
went out into the passage ; he was not going to take hi s

boots O ff in a lady s drawing room even for E ngland
’
-
.
H e returned stepping gingerly acutely Conscious o f

, ,
hi s socks ; then they went down the garden pa th to

gether A pebble hurt M r Binny very much indeed
. .
,
but he uttered no sound She in thin stockings bore .

, ,
the situation with equal fortitude They both silently .
mounted upon a seat in Mi ss P ell i ng s garden which ’

,
had been placed back to back with one in Mr Mont .
g o m e ry s garden
’
Miss Pelling held the line a s being
.
more used to handling it and author o f the idea .
“ ”
H ush ! S he said gently moving apart the branches
,
“
o f the lilac tree You keep them i n t h at position
. .
No w ! ”
A snore proceeded from the seat below .
“ ”
H o w long does he generally sleep ? whispered Mr .
Binny ra ther anxiously having no mind t o be caught

, ,
even by a spy in thi s situa t ion .
“
Half an hour at least ; every a fternoon in fact , ,
“
whi spered Mi ss Pelling Wha tever you do keep those .
,
”
branches apart ! she en t reat ed .
M r Binny did as he was t old but it was immediately

.
,
a fter Sunday s lunch and his strained att i tude would

’
have been trying to an empty young man ; t o a middle

aged full o n e it was almost apoplexy .
Then M r Montgomery stirred and M r Binny su d

.
, .
d e n ly let go the branches M iss Pelling gasped They . .
w aited in tense silence for a space which seemed an

hour but w as really j us t three minu tes and then
, ,
began all over again .
“ ”
Hush !
”
Hush !
Th e branches once more apart Miss Pelling once —
more dangling the fish hook over M r Montgomery s -

.
’
unconscious wig with a dexterity born o f many pleasan t

hours in Bridlington Bay .
“
N ow whi spered M r Binny . .
Miss Pelling leaned far forward Th e hook de .
scended : caught There was a wild yell from the little

.
gentleman next door and an exceedingly well made

,
-
grey wig dangled on the line behind the lilac boughs

which M r Binny had again ceased to hold apart
. .
In one second he and M iss Pelling alighted from the

,
seat hid the rod under the wall with a dexterity and
,
speed incredible in any lady or gentleman over twelve ,
and sat down trying t o look calm But in th at o n e .
moment they had noticed the innocent egg like bald ,

-
ness o f M r Montgomery and the situation loomed

.
,
perfectly terrible before them In addition t o the .
pain in his feet M r Binny endured acute m ental

, .
agony He considered what would be said on Change

.
’
durin g the ensuing w eek and already the ribald j okes ,
o f the F l o d m o u th mer c hants seemed to be hurtling
about hi s ears .
It was then tha t Mi ss Felling s resource fulness rose ’
t o a poin t far above any thing M r Binny could have .

t hem exactly i n your o wn words This episode will .
form a most valuable addition to the book o f r emi ni S a
”
cences which I am n o w engaged upon He l owered .
“
hi s voice confidentially As a matter o f fact I came
.
,
here to O btain leisure and freedom from interruption

in order t o complete my book I found thi s impossible .
at home owing to the many claims o n my time

, .
Having been Mayor o f my native town on three occa

sions and Sheri ff t wice I am naturally much engaged
, ,
”
in public matt ers .
M r Binny and Mi ss Pelling did no t look a t each

.
o ther At last M r Binny said in a subdued mono

. .
”
t one : I shall hope to buy a copy of your book .
“
No no ,
I Shall hope to send you o n e And I
. .
may give your names to veri fy thi s most interesting

experience ? It certainly seems to point to the exist
ence O f eagles s t ill in this par t o f Yorkshire Perhaps .
a t Scarcli ff e~
“
I f you don t mind said Binny miserably I think
’
, ,
Miss Pelling has rather an obj ection to any sort o f

er— publicity I think sh e would rath er you mentioned
.
”
no names He turned an agonised be seeching eye
.
,
“
o n her Wouldn t you M iss Pelling ’
.
,
She paused a momen t irresolute Here was a , .
chance to pay him o u t for all hi s sins o f omission

during many years Then her real liking for him took
.
“
the upper hand once more I certainly should prefer .
keeping the matter between ourselves sh e said , .
Any mention o f my name or Mr Binny s w ould bring .

’
cro w ds o f curious people to ga z e at o u r houses and we ,
should be deluged with inquiries I am sure yo u will .
s e e the obj ection yoursel f M r Montgomery ?

, .
“ ”
A lady s privacy i s ve ry dear to her urged Mr
’
,
.
TH E AMATE U R D ETE C T I V E S 1 53
Binny and s o many gr eat men have had troubles

,
with thei r hai r Delilah . I mean Absalom .

’
He mopped his brow h i s voice trailing o ff into ,
silence under the eye o f Miss Pell i ng and he began to ,
grow angry with her h e began to say to himsel f that

—
sh e had led him into this ridiculous situation by an
insane plan that only a woman

Then M r Montgomery interposed n o t wi thout
.
,
“
dignity : O f course I should never use a lady s name
,
’
”
against her will and he retired indoors to put his wig
,
straight .
Almos t immediately M r Binny pleaded pressing .
business and went away too He did not desire to .
discuss the situation It was to be as i f it had no t

.
taken place But his sense o f justice obliged him to

.
“
s ay in parting : Th e fellow i s obviously perfectly
”
respectable . He paused and added with an e ffort ,
“ ”
Th e whole a ff air has been extremely foolish .
“
Yo u did what yo u thought right Nobody can .
do more than that said Miss Pelling ; and so sub tly

,
s teadied M r Binny s wobbling p edes tal

.
’
.
CHAPTE R !
A H OL I D A Y
AR B ARA was on her knees doing the doors t ep

B
,
when M r Simpson went forth to business with

.
tha t un familiar sense o f hurry created by the picture

in hi s mind s eye o f a clicking instrum ent upon which
’
he must register hi s punctuality o r unpunctuality Th e .
morning wind blowing through the open door into the

house and among the heavy furniture was like an ,
outward and visible S ign o f tha t new freedom in the

Avenue which permitted Barbara t o do the doors tep
openly Th e very scouring cloth which she waved at
.
her fa ther as he passed became thus a flag o f freedom ,
celebrating the release o f the Avenue from a thousand

mean petty conventions
, .
But M r S impson could not yet see it in that way

. .
AS he passed hi s daughter hi s head drooped dismally

, ,
and he was fi lled with the odd sense o f shame and

failure which used to a ttack all kind decent middle
, ,
class men o f a cer tain age when they w ere no longer

able to keep their women folk in semi idleness
- -
It .
remained a deep humiliation to him to se e his pretty

Barbara doing the doorstep fo r the hiring o f some o n e
,
t o perform these tasks has been for generations o f

M r Simpsons the s ign o f a place in the world very
.
hardly won and kept by heaven knows what thri ft

, ,
15 4
“
I m not getting thin said Barbara
’
, .
Yes you are : and I know what it i s ; you re work

,
’
”
ing yoursel f to dea th for us all .
Nonsense ! ”
Then what i s it ? Surely you re not in love again

’
.
You d be a decent kid Barbara i f you d only leave the

’
, ,
’
young men alone .
“ ”
I do ! said Barbara indignantly .
Um then w h y did you send that box o f cigs

”
to M iss P e l l i n g s wounded soldier ?
’
“
E lsie you are a horrid girl ! You ve been poking
,
’
”
about in my dra w ers .
“
Ha ! Ha laughed E lsie impishly Sold again ! .
I never knew you had done I only guessed because I .
heard you asked Doro thy Bellerby wha t were the best
”
brands ?
“
Well i f you can t do a kindness t o a wounded
,
’
soldier without began Barbara .
“ ” “
Be calm ! interrupted E lsie I never m e an t it .
was not a noble thing to d o Wha t did he s ay when .
”
he wrote to thank yo u ?
Barbara took up the bowl placed it o n the fender , ,
and said shortly reluctantly with her back turned to

, ,
E lsie
“
H e never did write I wan ted no thanks o f
.
,
”
course !
Then why did you send the cigs ? Don t tell m
“ ’
e!
And you re worried because you haven t received an

’ ’
answe r from him though he may be in France by thi s

time for all you know .
“
I m sure I don t
’
began Barbara when the
’
girls heard M r s Simpson at th e door and ran ou t to

.
meet her .
A HO L I D AY 1 57
”
Well what does the doctor say ?
,
Oh I am improving ; but he was talking abou t

,
E lsie more than me He says she must have a fort .
night at Scarcli ff e be fore the winter sets in So I went .
round to Miss P e lli n g s and that i s wh y I have been ’

,
such a long time I thought s h e might know o f some

.
”
suitable place where you two girls could go alone .
“
Bu t Mother i t i s absolutely impossible for me to
, ,
“
go said Barbara
, Y o u take E lsie and I will look
.
,
”
a fter Father .
“
No dear said M rs Simpson
, ,
Yo u can t do the . .
’
work o f thi s house all the wi nte r u n l e s s you have a '
change You have looked quite worn and pal e lat ely
.
”
wi th working so hard in the hot weather .
“ ”
Then even you no t iced tha t Mother ? said E lsie ,
eagerly .
Mrs Simpson looked a t her younger daugh ter with

.
W himsical affection as i f a look o r S hadow on thei r

—
faces escaped her ! And ye t sh e had managed t o le t

lh emfeel themselves s o free .
“
Yes dear sh e said Then she t urn ed t o Barbara
,
”
, . .
“
I want you to go M iss Pelling knows o f a soldier s
.
’
wido w who will come fo r a fortnight a thoroughly —
nice girl who lived with some friends o f hers so tha t —
”
i s all right !
“ ”
But we can t a fford i t ; can we ? hesitated
’
Barbara .
“ ”
Oh yes we can ! ,
And Mrs Simpson smiled at her girls with a deep

.
j oy in her look that they remembered it long after ; but

they never knew what gave her smile that particular
radiance It was because she had a littl e money o f her
.
very o wn saved to buy a warm winter coa t ; and the

j oy o f being able to give them it was s o keen a —
keenness o f j o y in pain like that felt by the mother

bird who pecks the feathers from her o wn breast to
shelter her young and resembling none other on ,
earth .
E lsi e glanced at her S i ster in secret surpri se Sh e .
could hardly believe tha t Barbara was really contem

plating going to Scarcli ff e .
“
Mother we can t go and leave you like thi s sh e
,
’
protested .
“
You ll have to said M rs Simpson
’
,
I asked Miss . .
Pelling to go in at once and see M r M ontgomery about .
”
the rooms .
“
M r M on tgomery ! Th e o l d chap with the wig !
.
“
sai d E lsie Surely he doesn t le t lodgings at
.
’
Scarcli ffe
“
No but he has an e lderly cousin who does
,
I .
believe it was hearing about her really made me so

anxious for yo u to go M iss Pelling was talking about .
her last night and saying how highly M r Montgomery .
recommended her I should hardly have cared fo r

.
two girls to go alone to ordinary rooms with so man y

”
soldiers about the place .
“
Wha t old fashioned ideas yo u have Mother
-
, ,
laughed E lsie “
But I say it does seem ru m for us
.
,
to o we ou r holiday in a way to old Wig gy doesn t it ? ,

’
You never know who i s going to take a hand in things ,
”
do you ?
But M r s Simpson and Barbara were in n o mood for
.
abstract Speculation .
“
I don t s e e how I can leave yo u Mo th e r said
’
, ,
Barbara again— only s o half heart edly that even Mrs - .
Simpson felt a little secret ast oni shmen t at her r e ad i

Then across thi s ferment hidden feeling with the of ,
light play and sparkle o n top o f it o f her holiday mood ,
w hich became more defined as the train neared its

destination came the sound at a railway station o f a
,
band playing o ff a draft Her emotions w ere so active

.
that the sound s w ept her along in a sudden burst o f

pride and patriotism She hung o u t o f the carriage
.
” “
window waving and Shouting : G ood luck ! with
,
the tears standing in her eyes How splendid ! H o w .
splendid ! And then the heart gripping thought H O W - —
many will come back ? Then sh e sat down again as

the train moved o ff ; and it was incredibly the over
“
strung excitable E lsie who had to say to her : Bar
,
bara how can you go o n like that ? You re like a

,
’
”
maidservant o u t fo r a Spree Do keep quiet ! .
“
I can t S i t like a log with those boys going o ff to
’
fi gh t fo r us i f you can sai d Barbara hotly But S he

, , .
was a little ashamed as sh e dried her eyes and stood up

to straighten her hat be fore the oblong piece o f glass
in the railway carriage though every fibre o f her ,
seemed to be aflame and vibrating with patriotic

fervour and sh e felt fiercely that whatever E lsie said
, , ,
s h e was ready that minute to die fo r E ngland Then .
s h e suddenly thrust her face nearer to the glass and
her bright eyes shot o u t beams o f apprehension

there was a pimple on her chin ! Instinct j umped ,
quivering to the kn owledge that thi s might hinder

,
her in the quest o f which She declined to be conscious .
Th e pimple was a nearer and more vital thing at tha t

moment than all the vague glory o f the moment before ,
when sh e had waved the soldiers farewell .
She s at down again saying anxiously : E lsie I

, ,
”
have an aw ful spo t coming o n my chin .
A HO L I D AY 16 I
Badness coming o u t said E lsie carelessly , .
G oodness me Barbara I do wish you d s i t still for

, ,
’
a minute You re like a e at on h o t cinders I never

.
’
.
knew you so fid gety before It s generally me that .

’
”
gets excited W hile yo u keep as calm as a cucumber .
“ ”
I suppose I want a holiday murmured Barbara , ,
and sh e forced hersel f to S it still for the remainder o f

the j ourney .
They were settled in their lodg ings and E lsie , sat
by th e fi re which the landlady had lighted for she , ,
too was suffering from a cold owing to the change o f

,
weather .
“
Sticks bust be damp M rs Clarke remarked fret , .
“
fully poking a piece o f paper between the bars
, I .
ca n t understand e d dyb o dy coming t o S carcli ffe that

’
could go o n to the South Coast ; bu t my cousin M r , .
Montgomery lets me have this house rent free so I

, ,
”
stay here .
“
Atchee ! sneezed E lsie There I m ge tting worse
’
.
,
you s ee I might j ust as well have gone o u t with

.
Barbara a fter all , .
“
You were to o tired said Mrs Clarke unanswer , .
ably .
There followed a S ilence M r s Clarke sank hersel f . .
in a newspaper and E lsie rea d a book which sh e had

brought fro m the Fl o dmo u th Free L ibrary At las t .
Mrs Clarke looked up at the clock

. .
“
I t s hal f past nine ; time your sister was in with
’
-
,
all these soldiers about She said she was j ust going .
to run o u t for hal f an hour Have you any friends .
”
stopping in the place ?
“
N 0 said E lsie : then sh e remembered Brooke who
, ,
had not been mentioned at all when the plans were

being made for coming to Scarcliffe but o f whom Mrs , .
Simpson had said on the railway platform casually

“ ”
Perhap s you will see little Kitchener s friend And ’
.
“
Barbara had replied with equal carelessness : Oh ,
”
I daresay he has gone o ff to France by this time .
No w E lsie said to M rs Clarke

“
Why yes we do
.
, , ,
know o n e soldier who was stationed here ; bu t I don t ’
”
expect he i s here still .
Offi cer o f course ? said M r s Clarke

,
”
. .
”
N 0 Private said E lsie
.
, .
Th e conversation again lapsed Mrs Clarke was a . .
fat woman with a fine white skin that had gone a little
g rey to match her hair protruding
, false teeth and a
flu ffy grey S hawl ; her remarkable resemblance to a
,
tame rabbit was increased in some subtle way by the

c old in her head At ten o clock the grating throaty
’
.
, ,
chime o f the clock whirred through the room She .
glared pu ffi ly at th e white dial and then at E lsie .
“ ”
N ot in yet ?
It i s easy to mi stake the time when you are ou t

” “
walking said E lsie
, D O you want to go to bed ?
.
”
I can easily s i t up for my sister .
“
Certainly not I was asked t o look after you like
.
young relatives o f my o wn and I shall do s o as far as

,
possible O f course no o n e has any control over the

.
”
girls o f the present day She paused and added for
.
,
s h e was deeply curious like so many stupid people

“
Was there anything between your S ister and this
”
young man ?
“ ”
Which young man ? said E lsie fli ppantly She s .
’
”
had lots Quite a one for the boys i s o u r Barbara
.
,
.
Having given thi s mi sleading piece o f information

e xactly the opposite o f that She paused filling a .

,
“
cup with cocoa I have kept this hot fo r you O f
. .
course I have no responsibility But as I have j ust .
told your S ister I do no t expect to see young men

,
visitors at this house I am a very quiet person and .

,
I can t be bothered with them In addi t ion to which

’
.
my permanent lodger Mrs Scrope would be very , .

,
much upset She dislikes the smell o f tobacco

. .
“
She ll soon have to go to another world i f S he
’
” “
wan t s t o get o u t o f tha t smell said E lsie Perhaps , .
S he i s very Ol d
“ ”
Hush E lsie ! sai d Barbara then sh e added t o
, ,
“
M rs Clarke : I m very sorry to have made you
.
’
uneasy I had no idea it was s o late

. .
“
Well sai d Mrs Clarke dabbing her nose I
, .
, ,
”
suppose we have all been young once .
But it seemed incredible t o the two girl s that thi s

r abbity bundle o f female humanity could ever have
walked with a young man in the moonligh t .
“ ”
G ood nigh t M r s Clarke said Barbara
-
,
Her .
, .
v oice sounded very clear and her eyes seemed fi lled

wi th the fresh darkness o f the summer night her face ,
bloomed like a cool flower in that hot little room , .
“ ”
Good night Mi ss Simpson-
said M rs Clarke
, ,
. .
And do remember the thinness o f the wall s please , .
M r s Scrope once distinctly heard a lady in the room

.
where you are sleeping ask her husband how hi s corns

”
w e re .
“
Well we haven t any corns at any ra t e
,
’
, ,
E lsi e .
“
O f course we will be careful Mrs Clarke said , .
,
B arbara .
Th e n the two girls ran upstairs hand in hand ,

A HO L I D AY 16 5
subduing their laughter un t il the be droom door was
shut .
“
Oh Barbara !,
Oh E lsie ! Do be quiet ! Think o f the t obacco

,
”
hating lady next door .
Upon which they laughed again pressing h an dke r ,
chie fs upon their lips and rej oicing in the comicality o f

something not comical at all after that fashion o f ,
youth which age scorns because it only sees the silly

seeming outside and has forgotten the exquisite sense
,
o f fun and j ollity that used to lie beneath .
“
I say wha t a lark your coming across Brooke !
,
“
said E lsie I suppose he i s in khaki now Does he
. .
”
look very di ff erent ?
L ike a picture only more vivid than any pic ture th e
, ,
lean alert figure o f Brooke with hi s dark eyes S hining

,
o u t o f hi s lined face as he came towards her in the
bright moonlight appeared once more be fore Barbara .
But the sense o f achievement and satisfaction o f —
fi nding at last wha t every fibre o f her body was tensely

waiting fo r that could never come back again becaus e
—
,
memory can only hold the echo o f emotion .
“ “
N 0 she said casually he looks much the same
, , .
Well I shall always remember him best in that

,
”
red white and blue a ffair ; it seemed t o suit him said
, ,
“ ”
E lsie When i s he going o u t to France ?
.
“ ”
In about a week he expects , .
”
Then we were only j ust in time t o find him here ?
”
Yes .
That was all Barbara said about it and she imme ,
d i at e l y began to make fun o f the lodgings again : but

at E lsie s words a sudden shock o f fear such as come s
’
,
at the mention o f a vital danger only j us t surmounted ,

made her tremble a little He had s o very nearly gone

.
o u t o f her li fe be fore sh e could reach him And yet .
s h e did not realise what s h e thought because thought

,
was in abeyance and feeling had usurped its place .
She only knew that she was looking forward to her

s tay here with intense pleasure She was filled with
.
an acute sense o f the dancing waves and the sharpness

o f the sweet ai r and the intensified beauty o f every
thing round her I t was not first a bird s glow o f new

.
’
plumage a t the approach o f love but the human miracle

,
o f a whole world putting o n glo ry in the eyes o f a lover .
When the throaty clock to which it did seem

—
strange the particular permanent lodger had n o t taken

exception chimed the hour o f twelve through the
—
house everyone save Barbara w as fast asleep

, .
She lay awake with the window a little O pen and ,
the waves sounded very plainly Swi sh l Swi sh l .

- -
Swi sh l went o n the shingly beach outside Th e

-
.
green curtains had been drawn back and a twiligh t o f

the moon came through the linen blinds : it was an
exquisite light j us t made fo r waking dreams And yet
,
.
Barbara was no t dreaming She was in that strange

.
,
happy sta t e o f suspended though t which comes before

dreams be gin .
j ust the same in o n e o f those S lums smelling o f fish ,
and beer and tar which linger still in O ld Fl o dmou th ,

.
For i t was indeed a wind o f the spirit tha t had blown

across her as she went along the sands that evening by
Brooke s side a t the edge o f the l i ttle waves ; though
’
S he also thrille d with the physical passion which i s the '
other hal f o f true love .
S o n o w S he was sorry for E lsie o n the sur face as

s h e stood there with the library book in her hand ;
and she was really like a homing pigeon straining to

be released .
“ ”
Then there s nothing else she said making her
’
?
,
“
sel f pause another minute You wouldn t care for .
’
”
me to stay in to o E lsie ?
,
“ ”
Don t be an idiot ! said E lsie
’
Yo u migh t bring .
me a few peppermints i f you liked ; they re comfort ,

’
”
ing . And sh e added drawing a shawl closer round ,
”
her : Oh dear thi s i s a holiday !
, ,
“ ”
Poor o l d E lsie ! repeated Barb ara fid geti n g wi th ,
”
the door handle Anything for you M rs Clarke ?
.
, .
“
Thank you I m nearly run o u t of eucalyptus
’
, ,
“
said M r s Clarke . And i f you could see a bit o f fresh
.
fi sh anywhere Fish would be nice and light for

.
”
supper .
“
I ll do my best said Barbara
’
G ood bye ! ,
.
-
She breathed deeply as S he shut the door like a

person thank ful to escape then hurried down the ,
passage and out into the street lest She should be ca lled
back for further commissions .
M rs Clarke looked across at E lsie her eyes round

. ,
and watery her nose end pink her resemblance to a

,
-
,
tame rabbit wi th an inquisi t ive mind more pronounc e d

th an ev e r .
S EA -
WI N D 16 9
”
Off a fter that young man again ! sh e said with ,
a sort o f placid vindictiveness .
”
“
Don t talk nonsense said E lsie abruptly
’
Bar
, .
”
bara i s n o t like that And she w a s all the more sharp
.
because the idea had occurred to hersel f .
“
They re all like that when they come to Scar
’
“
cli ff e said M rs Clarke
,
S oldiers and sands mixed
. .
,
seem to go to their heads I don t know why it i s so .

’
but it i s and sh e sni ffed again .
”
You re quite mistaken said E lsie and sh e sni ffed , ,
also before returning to her book S O there was a certain ,
bond between them which made the situation support

able and Mrs Clarke was very kind in the way o f
, .
creature com forts that a fternoon .
Barbara meanwhile walked briskly along the sea

front to the main street where the shops were situated ,
and was fortunate enough to secure the desired book

and the peppermints Carrying these in a bag s h e .
,
returned a t once to the Cli ff edge and ran down the

steps which led to the beach Then she began to walk .
slowly loitering by the edge o f the incoming tide

, ,
pi cking up bits o f seaw eed and letting them fall see k ,
ing flat stones with w hich to make ducks and drakes

o n the water At last sh e saw an erect lean figure in
.
,
khaki coming towards her and even at that distance , ,
and in spite o f the heavy sand which caused hi s step

t o be laboured instea d o f bri skly alert sh e knew it ,
was Brooke H e r w hole being leapt to the recognition

.
“ ”
be fore sh e had time to think : That i s he ! But
sh e stood quite still facing the waves un ti l he came up
behind her Then she turned round

. .
“
Could yo u s e e me a long way o ff sh e asked .
Ye s from the end o f the Parade

, Y o u stood so .
still I though t you d turned in t o a clump o f s ea lavender

’
-
”
before my very eyes .
“ ”
Oh ! Why ? She glanced at him looking S ide ,
ways and hal f smiling not thinking at all what sh e said

, .
“
Because nymphs al w ays did turn into something
like that when they were pursued It was the proper .
thing for a nymph t o do and I knew you d t ry to do ,

’
t he proper thing .
She glanced at him doub t fully .
“ ”
Don t you ?
’
”
Don t I wha t ? he asked smiling
’
, .
Why want to do the proper thing

, .
”
Depends .
”
Wha t o n ? sh e said moving a pebble wi th h e r
,
foot .
“
H o w much I wan t to do the other thing .
They laughed together the utter futility o f their ,
talk in some queer way making i t all the more delight

ful to them perhaps because it thus interfered less
—
with unspoken conversation they were holding and ,
which wa s so exquisitely enj oyable Their laughter .
had a pleasant sound there young laughter o n the —
sea s edge— and her girl s rippling tone was the comple
’ ’
ment o f hi s deeper o n e .
“
Well you broke your rule when you came to that
,
” “
Cinema Show with me he said I v e o ften won
, .
’
”
dered— you being you what made you ? —
“ ”
I don t know Y o u looked l onely
’
. She paused .
“
and glanced up at him with her sweet face grave I .
think since Jim went I somehow feel as i f all soldiers

”
were brothers o f mine too .
He drew nearer touching her arm , .
“
Dear little girl I believe that i s the explana
I never talk about that time H e b r oke the S ilence .
“
with an e ff ort . Only I felt I should like to tell you .
”
I don t suppose I shall mention it again
’
.
H e r quick mind leapt responsive ; she knew perfec tly

well that he was closing a door o n memories tha t a
decent man keeps sacred .
“
No o f course She kept her eyes fixed
.
o n the s ea .
But he wa s sure o f her understanding because their

spirits had j ust then spoken most intimately together
in the way that nearly all conversations o f a personal
nature that matter deeply are spoken when such words ,
as do come are rather by way o f punctuation S howing ,
pauses and the end .
A fter a while they noticed the flowing tide ge tting

near to the cli ff s and saw they must return unless they
,
wi shed to spend several hours betw een sand and s ky

o n a precarious edge o f rock In speaking o f this the .
,
current o f their thoughts changed and as they walked ,
back to the Parade talking easily about anything that

,
came into their minds Barbara experienced that most

,
delightful sense o f ease and freedom which a girl o ften

kno w s j ust be fore her lover declares himsel f She i s .
s o certain everything she says must be charming and
right because She says it and yet sh e has not been ,
told s o even by her o wn heart Thi s time i s so brie f

,
.
that many forget it afte r w ards in thinking o f love

but it has the tender evanescent loveliness o f a flower
,
opening and no t yet open o f a butterfly j ust fluttering ,
o u t to meet the sunshine .
S O they walked toge ther and told each o ther all

sorts o f things with no more e ff ort than the wav e s
rippling o n the sand Th e strange influence which
.
S E A-
WI N D 1 73
makes people tell in that hour what they have kept to

themselv e s all their lives was not less po w erful in
Brooke through having experienced it be fore because ,
an eternal newness in love i s part o f the economy o f

nature . And Barbara confided to him her inmost
thoughts and hopes and a ff airs w ith the aband on which
those know best who have always benea th a surface —
frankness— been rather reserved ; the shallow trickling

c o n fid e n c e s o f the habitually expansive are n o t to be
compared with this stream .
At the end o f the afternoon Barbara part ed from

her undeclared lover in a glow o f deepest happiness .
She felt so much nearer in spirit to ano ther human

being than sh e had ever thought possible They were .
both s o wrought o n by this a fternoon hour that they

believed themselves o n the verge o f escaping forever
from the loneliness o f spiri t which i s human li fe .
“
You ll come o u t again a fter s upper he said
’
.
”
Oh I can t ! Poor E lsie !
,
’
Then may I come in ? ”
She shook her head .
“
S o sorry M r s Clarke s permanent lodger seems
. .
’
”
to obj ect to gentlemen ca llers Isn t it ridiculous ? .
’
“
Then you ll come to morrow afternoon ”
he said
’
? -
.
To morrow s Sunday After to morrow I ca n only

’
- -
.
be certain o f an hour or t wo in the evening and not

”
always that Won t yo u come Barbara ?
.
’
,
It was the fi rst time he had called her Barbara .
“ ”
I will i f I can I ll try I don t know
.
’
She .
’
.
stood poised ready t o go the lovely colour creeping

, ,
over her face .
“
I Shall wait o n tha t sea t a t the end o f the Parade
”
all the a fternoon .
'
1
”
Oh don t !
,
’
He looked at her very directly smiling and yet with , ,
something behind the smile which sh e dared not

disregard .
“
I won t i f yo u really would ra ther n ot
’
.
”
Oh ! Y o u know .
S h e t urned and ran up the steps in t o the t all house

fronting the Parade .
E lsie looked round blinking her eyes and holding

,
her book with o n e fi nger inside after the fashion o f ,
the born bookworm .
“
Well you h ave been a long t ime though t you were
,
-
”
going to be late for supper .
“
G o t the fi sh ? said M r s Clarke bustling in t o the
”
.
,
room .
“ ”
G ot everything ! laughed Barbara And indeed .
, ,
s h e felt sh e had ; the world was hers and t he fulness
of it
Th e Sunday midday dinner was over an d Mrs .
Clarke rested from her weekly row with the permanent

lodger who presented the usual combination o f perma
,
n e nc e and less e ndearing characteri stics E lsie ga z ed .
wis t fully a t the little garden behind the house and

thought how beauti ful the sunshine must be o n th e sea .
“ ”
It seems t o have turned warmer since yesterday ,
“
sh e said Don t you think I might go o u t for a
’
.
”
walk ?
No t a f t er s t aying indoors all the morning said
“
,
Barbara quickly .
“
But it i s s o warm now pleaded E lsie , .
M r s Clarke looked up
. .
and the tall houses merged into a rough path o n the

top o f the cli ff then they S lackened their pace and
,
began t o look a t each other betw een the trivial s en

t e n ce s taking up w here they had left o ff the wonder
, , ,
ful unspoken conversation o f yesterday .
At last they were a mile beyond the t own Th e .
band t oo tling under the glass dome could no longer

, ,
be heard a t all A couple o f soldiers passed them

.
,
glanced with a wink at Brooke and went o n F ai n tl y , .
“
o n the ligh t bree z e came a whi stling chorus : Who s ’
”
your lady friend ? But it j ust meant a j olly sense o f
comradeship o n that glorious summer Sunday a fter
noon H e d go t a pretty girl they only wished gaily
.
’
—
that they were in the same boat but he was o n e o f —
themselves and had a right to love and beauty .
That was what the whistling conveyed and it merged ,
happily enough with the birds singing through the ’
boom o f the sea .
“
Shall we take this fiel d path said Brooke -
.
Yes I like walking by the edge o f the corn said

, ,
B arbara .
She wore a white dress crisply washed and a plain

s t raw hat with a red ribb on in it : there were also red
poppies among the corn which awaited the late harves t
o f the North Th e s ky above was o f that lovely blue
. .
which i s quite di ff erent from the colour o f skies th at

are always blu e — more delicate wi th no more hard ,
suspicion o f permanence than the colour o f a wild

fl o we r— and Barbara suited it all as i f sh e had been
painted there by a master hand .
“ ”
I s ay— shall we s i t down a bi t ? said Brook e
suddenly .
“
Al l ri gh t bu t I m no t tired
’
.
,
S E A-VVI ND 1 77
She sat down o n a bank under the hedge with the

cornfield spreading o u t in front o f her and the sky
above He stood fo r a moment longer until she was
.
settled While memory lasted he was to keep the

.
memory o f her as sh e sat there the blue and white —
and gold with splashes O f scarlet among the corn and

abo ve her shining eyes I t was a glory o f pure colour
.
matc hing in its exqui site clearness something in her

frank forehead and clear cut tender lips -
, .
“ ”
Barbara he said kneeling down beside her how
, , ,
”
am I going to leave you ?
She shook her head her eyes unconsciously seeki ng
, ,
fixed o n his .
He took her hand .
“
It seems so queer B arbara (He could not speak
, .
her name too often lingering over each syllable )

, .
It seems s o queer that you could be in the world and I

no t know it .
Her fingers lay in hi s quite still ; S he pre t ended not

,
t o s e e they were there .
”
Then somehow sh e suddenly though t o f
“
Yes .
Frank Garret and took her hand away

, .
He continued gravely broodingly : H o w strange ,
things are : me going abou t the world an d yo u in

,
—
that narro w sheltered street all the time

,
They wondered at li fe toge ther O ld li fe wearing a —
mysterious new mask H e told her o f his fruit orchards

.
in spring which he hoped to go back to a fter the war

, ,
and she could almos t smell the blossom through the

warm s ea wind that came over the sunlit corn But
-
.
their talk though so engrossing really meant nothing

, ,
to either in itsel f j ust n o w ; it was like the overtu re

that i s only lea ding up and up to something be yond
the ears o f thei r souls were all the time listening for a
wonder to come And thus the beauti ful a ftern oon
.
hours went by until it began to grow late when

, ,
Barbara drew forth the O ld fashioned w atch o n a long

gold chain which M rs Simpson had lent her because
.
her o w n was broken Brooke touched the watch t o o

.
,
bending over t o se e it more clearly because they could

not believe the hands had reached a quarter to five .
And as he touched it he felt the warmne s s which the

,
gold had gathered from lying under her blouse and ,
suddenly pressed the watch to hi s lips It was still .
held by the slender chain and sh e ga z ed at him over ,
it with lips parted and eyes dark and wide like a —
pictured Madonna too rapt to be a fraid There was .

,
indeed something very solemn and lovely in her look

,
a t that moment Then the chain broke

. .
“ ”
Oh ! M other s chain ! S he cried s tar tled
’
Please , .
”
give it me .
She held out her hand and he looked at her putting

the watch back into her blouse They wer e bo t h .
t rembling .
“
I must go now She said , .
N He forced the word o u t rather t han spoke

“ ”
it Sit where you are .
But I must
He flung hi s arm round her and held her .
“
Barbara ! Can t y ou s e e I m mad for love o f yo u ?
’ ’
I didn t mean to tell you I ve been keeping i t in

’
.
’
.
But I can t I can t

’
—
’
She le t him press hi s head against her soft S houlder

and hide his face there A long minute passed Then
. .
”
h e heard her murmur : Poor bo y ! Poor boy !
She said i t in the voice whi c h sh e had only learned
1 80
-
blame yoursel f Always always remember t hat ! I

.
,
I came to Scarcli ff e because— because I wan ted yo u !

“ ”
How sweet to tell me he whispered holding —
, ,
her close And it was a moment when young passion

.
was converted by a mixture o f t he soul s love into ’
som ething wonder fully beauti ful All the rose and .
gold and pearl o f that most magic draught shone

through the crysta l bowl they held up between them .
“
You ll never let thi s spoil your li f e — not i f any thing
’
”
happens to me ? he said .
“ ”
N o Julian I won t I won t ! sh e said hal f
, ,
’
.
’
,
sobbing I t was the cry o f brave weakness taking o n

.
strength through love bu t he knew tha t sh e spoke t rue ,
as sh e looked at him her sweet mou th a li t tle twisted

,
by keeping back her t e ars .
S o sh e t o o gained a pic ture o f her lover which was

, ,
to stay wi th her always — his hair against the mellow

a fternoon touched golden where it was ru ffled by
,
leaning o n her shoulder ; hi s dark eyes blazing wi th

passionate adoration as he looked down a t her She .
came into hi s arms again o f her o wn accord and closed

her eyes leaning her cheek agains t his coat
, Th e .
rough feel o f i t and t he smoke odour were to remain

with her while sh e remembered anything .
“
My o wn girl : I can t leave you he murmured
” ’
, ,
his love c r y no less monotonous than that o f all other

-
“
living creatures Barbara I m going t o buy o u r
.
,
’
wedding ring be fore I go I mus t pu t i t o n and se e

-
.
”
h o w it looks .
“
D ea res t I ll wear it on a ribbon round my n e ck
,
’
”
and kiss it e ve ry night .
Thus they ca me upon tha t divin e fu t ili ty o f lov e rs

which canno t bear repeat ing bu t i s a part o f love like ,
SE A WI N D -
181
all the rest As he measured h e r fi nger and put the

.
knotted string in h i s pocket she felt that a new thing ,
had been done in the world ; and at last they started

to walk back along the cliff top in the beginning o f the
sunset .
“
I mus t write t o your Father he said , .
She looked at him suddenly grave and pale Thi s , .
was no lovers fairy tale then : something hard and

’
real had come into it already .
“
I think I had better tell Mo ther mysel f fi rst She .
i s in bad health and I think a lett er like that would

,
upset her .
“ ”
Y o u don t mean yo u want to keep i t a secr et ? he
’
“
said sharply I hate that sor t o f thing
. .
“ ” “
Oh ! sh e paused Well I do too I ll te ll them
.
, .
’
the minute I get back .
“ ”
Why not write ?
She hesitated looking down , .
“
They they are rather foolish abou t me
—
And .
they are a little prejudiced in a way because your , ,
brother though father does think you behaved

s o splendidly about little Kitchener I think it
would come better by word o f mou th .
“
I don t like going without seeing M r Simpson
’
.
,
said Brooke .
“
Well he can t get over And yo u can t get leave
,
’
.
’
to go to F l o d mou th Besides s h e hesitated again

.
and told the truth w e have only three more days ,
Julian Don t let us spoil them by all sort s o f bothers

.
’
.
Y o u can come to see Father the v e ry fi rs t t ime you

are home from France .
“
Y o u mean you think your paren t s will mak e
diffi cul t ies
She turned round and suddenly clung to him .
“
Oh I don t know ! I don t know ! We can t spoil
,
’ ’ ’
”
o u r last bit o f time together .
What sh e left unspoken th e tragic unanswerable —

,
”
I t may be all we ever have influenced him against
h i s b e t te r j udgment just as her sudden spontaneous
'
, ,
embrace disturbed his senses : he ceased to see clear .
“ “ ”
Will you do as I say Julian ? sh e urged Will , .
”
y ou ? Will you ?
He ben t and kissed her upturned face .
“
I ll do anything o n earth yo u want deares t Bu t
’
, .
”
you ll promise me t o tell them directly I am gone ?
’
he added quickly .
“
I promi se said Barbara , .
S o he took her hand and they began to walk along

the cli ff top t owards home Th e evening s tar came o u t .
through the sunset They were happy .
As they halted at the end o f the Parade they looked ,
up into a clear sky .
“
Another fi ne day to morrow I f we could only -
.
”
spend one whole day together Barbara ! ,
“
Anyway there ll be the evenings E lsie will no t
,
’
.
be well enough for two o r three days t o go ou t a fter

”
supper .
“
They may t ry t o keep you in he said , .
”
N 0 I ll manage it somehow
,
’
.
”
Don t they suspect anything
’
?
Oh I dare say E lsie does ; she i s as sharp as a

,
needle Bu t I Shall n o t say any thing I wan t t o t ell

. .
Mother firs t .
“
G ood nigh t -
.
G ood night -
.
They said i t and as they t urn e d back t o say i t

,
CHAPTER ! II
P A R TI NG
T H E las t evening o n which

o f meeting Barbara had
Brooke could b e sure
come His draf t was .
to leave forty eight hours later for the Front and he

-
,
would probably be detained in camp the following

night Barbara stood in the sit ting room nervously
.
-
fid ge ti ng with some wool that sh e was W inding fo r

M rs Clarke over the backs o f two chairs Th e blinds
. .
were down and the gas was already lighted At last .
s h e said carelessly
“
NOW I think I ll go o u t for a t urn You ll b e all
’
.
’
”
righ t E lsie ?
,
“
R ight as I ve been eve ry nigh t But my cold i s
’
.
”
much better I could qui t e well go o u t t o night
.
-
.
Barbara looked fi xedly at her wool but her fi ngers ,
shook so that she let go the ball It was curious h o w

.
t hi s drama o f her love workin g ou t against a wide

background o f se a and sky should yet be con t rolled
at every crisi s by E lsie s cold in the head
’
.
“ ”
Wha t do you think Mrs Clarke ? pursued E lsie
, . .
Th e grey rabbit dilated her pink nostrils c o n si d ,
ering and it was the voice o f fate Barbara waited fo r

, ,
because she knew hersel f unable to either tell E lsie

openly t o stay at home o r to explain how matt ers
stood She endured the strange moment common to
.
most lives when a sensible human being with ordinary

18 4
PART I NG 1 85
strengt h o f will i s like a trembling bird fascinated by a

snake ; physically able to escape from the embarrassing
circumstance yet like the bird incapable o f doing it
, , , .
“
I m sure I shall be all right i f I pu t a scar f o n
’
sa id E lsie going towards the door .
Barbara ope ned her lips closed them again and ,
tangled th e wool : then sh e spoke wi th her face bent

over i t
“
Yo u sneezed a t supper .
Ah ! I d forgotten the snee ze said Mrs Clarke

’
, . .
I really think E lsie I Should stay in for one more , ,

”
night .
“
Very well said E lsie glancing sideways at her
, ,
sis t er . I suppose I had better do as M rs Clarke .
”
thinks b es t then ? ,
Barbara stea died hersel f against the back o f the

chair Th e revu lsion o f feeling was perfectly r i d i cu
.
lous but it almos t caused her to feel faint

, .
“
That s a good girl E lsie I ll j ust go fo r an hour
’ ’
.
, ,
sh e said putting the wool toge ther

, .
“ ”
Barbara ! cried E lsie sharply Yo u are tangling .
t hat wool so tha t nobody will ever be able to wind it .
Mrs Clarke looked round over her grey shawled

.
-
shoulder .
“
I hope yo u have not given your sister your cold ,
“
E lsie sh e said
,
M iss Simpson looks very pale to
.
night and her eyes are over bright I think she would .
”
be best indoors t o o She paused Y o u stay quie t ly
,
. .
indoors t o o M iss Simpson , .
“
NO ! Barbara j erked o u t the word in a stress o f
”
nervous irritation that was be coming almost u ncon

t r o l l ab l e ; bu t at the door S h e forced hers e lf to tu rn
and smil e .
G ood night E lsie It i s hard lines o n yo u

-
, And . .
there was something in that wavering smile w h ich

vaguely touched E lsie though sh e only called ou t ,
Crocodile
Hush ! Hush ! Nice name t o call your sis ter said ,
M rs Clarke who w as nothing i f not literal

.
, .
“
Barbara doesn t mind Barbara knows I coul d ’
.
s ay something she d dislike a lot worse than that i f I

’
”
liked said E lsie
, .
Th e door closed and M r s Clarke put her knitting .
down to look across at E lsie for curiosity abou t the ,
meanest t rifles had power to galvanise her at once into

“
a resemblance o f animation : Do you think she s gone ’
”
t o meet any o n e in particular ?
“ ”
Don t know I m sure
’
,
’
.
I expect i t s that Brooke you spoke about S ome

’
.
body said a dra ft was going o ff to morrow night D O -

.
”
you think he i s going with it pursued M rs Clarke
? . .
“ ”
I never think hurts my head said E lsi e smoo th
—
,
Mrs Clarke stared at her let th e words slowly sink

.
—
in t o her comprehension and reddened .
“
I m sure I had no wish to intrude But surely a
’
.
friendly interest in young ladies under my charge

She sni ff ed and rose .
“
Well I was rude said E lsi e
,
But i t would , .
make any o ne rude stopping in night a fter nigh t w hen ,
y ou have only o ne fortnight in the whole yea r ,

”
wouldn t it M rs Clarke
’
?
, .
And her face looked so wistful and peaked in the

full light o f the lamp that M rs Clarke s slowly gather .
’
ing indignation against Barbara came to a head .
She doesn t wan t you E lsie She wants t o be

’
, .
'
Th e hush ! hush ! o f the little waves seemed to Bar

bara s ears like the voice o f things lost for ever never
’
—
t o be found again She had always thought she should

.
be so brave i f sh e were married o r engaged and her ,
man w ent to the Front and now S he was feeling like ,
this ; the only thing sh e could do was t o keep quiet and

re frain from saddening him more .
“ ”
Barbara ! he whispered at last I feel as i f I .
couldn t go and leave you

’
.
“
You ll soon be back o n leave A few mon ths will
’
.
”
soon pass sai d Barbara in a flat dull tone sh e scarcely
, , ,
recognised as her o wn .
“
Y o u don t love me as I love you or a few months
’
” “
would seem fo r ever he answered kissing her Oh , , .
,
Barbara i f only you could have married me before

,
I went ! I longed to ask you but I feared to t ake ad ,
vantage y o u two girls here alone Y o u might .
have been my wi fe by now i f we had only chanced it .
It s the firs t time in my li fe I have stopped t o consider

’
”
risks but it s because I love you s o
,
’
.
“
And I love you I don t feel as i f I could let you .
’
”
go I m a coward I kno w ; but I feel as i f I couldn t
.
’
,
’
.
She fought against her tears but they would come .
Her low sobbing mingled with the sound o f the little

waves o n the shore She felt hersel f to be u tt erly .
mi serable as She lay there sobbing with hi s arm close

about her knowing the greatness o f hi s love ; but sh e
,
was really t asting o n e o f those few j oys in li fe which

are s o keen that they are scarcely distinguishable from
pa i n .
“ ”
You ll stick to me Barbara he said
’
? Wha tever , .
”
happens you ll stick t o me !
,
’
”
You know I will ! Y o u know I will !
PART I NG 1 89
So they clung together and there were tears in his

eyes t o o A fter a while he sat up and fumbled in hi s
.
pocket .
“
Here s the wedding ring Barbara he said
’
-
, I , .
want you to t ake care O f it until I come back Then .
it ll be all ready
’
”
Oh Julian !
,
”
Oh Barbara !
,
They clung together again they were unhappy

an d yet all the j oy in the world was theirs they
be lieved in perfect happiness .
He parted her slim fi ngers in the dark to find her

wedding fi nger .
“
L e t us see i f it fi ts he said Then he pressed i t
, .
“
to hi s lips My little wi fe
. Oh i f you only
.
,
”
were !
“
I couldn t be any more fai th ful then than I shal l
’
”
be now ,sh e answered .
“ ”
Darling ! My o w n Barbara !
For a long time they sat there holding each o ther ,
close and murmuring words of love At las t they rose .
and began t o walk back t owards the town And n o w .
both began to say how quickly the months would pass ,
and h o w o ften they would hear from each o ther A .
stranger walking behind would almos t have though t

Brooke pleased to go back t o France and Barbara ,
pleased to have him go .
As they went the moon rose and i t was shining ,
mistily above the town when they stopped for thei r

las t embrace at the end o f the terrace Brooke t ook .
her left hand again and kissed i t passionately .
“ ”
My wi fe !
Then they stood murmuring t oge th e r again thos e
things which cannot be written At last sh e dragged .
hersel f away from his arms and started running blindly

t owards the house H e caught her up and held her .
again They heard a clock chime the hour and he had

.
to leave her .
“ ”
Julian !
I t was her whole being that called af ter him as he
hurried along but he could not hear her i n a li ttle
,
—
while sh e slowly went up t he steps into the house .
She paused outside the room where Mrs Clark e and .
E lsie sat reading and said through the hal f open -
door
“
G ood nigh t -
There was the rustle o f M rs Clarke and E lsie mo v .
i ng .
You r e n o t going to bed yet Barbara ? Aren t you

’
,
’
”
going to have some cocoa ?
N0 thank you I m t ired
“ ’
. .
,
She remained in Shadow remembering suddenly that ,
sh e still wore the wedding ring She t ried to remove -

.
i t and it would n o t come o ff .
“ ”
Barbara ! called E lsie .
She ran upstairs without answering wrapping h er ,
hand in her handkerchie f In two o r three minute s .
E lsie followed to find her bending over the wash basin -
with her hand in the cold water .
“ ”
What i s it ? Hurt your hand Barbara ? ,
Barbara mu ttered something which migh t be Y e s

or No .
“
L et me see said E lsie , .
Barbara covered her hand with the sponge and said

“ ”
i mpatiently : Oh i t s nothing ! Don t worry me l
’ ’
,
been married a hundred times and lived a t the No r th

”
Pole S O there !
.
“ ”
Poor o l d Barbie ! said E lsie her sharp girlish
, ,
voice in queer contras t to the elderly tolerance O f her

tone .
“
I suppose you can t help it NOW you ll have
’
.
’
to turn o u t be fore breakfast to get that ring fi led o ff ,
unless you wan t Mrs Clarke to se e i t and the shops

.
—
won t be open till nine You won t get back until

’
.
’
break fast i s all cold and I shall have to tell some lie
”
o r o t her abou t your going bathing .
“
Y o u needn t do tha t ! I s h al l bathe o f course i f
’
, ,
”
I say so responded Barbara suddenly aware tha t her
, ,
accustomed elder S is te rly r Ol e was slipping away from

-
h e r for good .
CHA P T E R ! III
TH E E ND O F SU M MER
H E N the
girls returned to Chestnu t Avenue a f ter
their holiday the summer w a s over leaves al —
ready blo w ing in a coolish w ind and the autumn not —
yet set in M r and M rs Simpson unconsciously

. . .
watched the flight o f a grimy plane lea f across the win -
dow then M r Simpson sa id .
“
We re not parents in a play I f Barbara will have
’
.
him we must make the be st o f it But I must own

, .
”
that I am bitterly disappointed bitterly di sappointed l —
“
S O am I ; only we want o u r girl to be happy and ,
young people will look for happiness in their o wn way .
We wouldn t have her marry any man unless sh e loves

’
”
him Mrs Simpson said
, . .
“
She used to fancy She loved G arret though , ,
“
argued Mr Simpson . What s the fancy o f a girl
.
’
who changes like that against a good husband and a ,
good home ? We can t live for ever I do wish

’
”
you would show more common sen se H arriet , .
H e knocked o u t his pipe impatiently angry wi th ,
his wi fe because he was anxious and troubled for her

and hi s children after the manner o f the decent hus
,
band all the world over .
“
Well it s done now answered M rs Simpson
,
’
, . .
Nothing we can say will move Barbara ”

She . .
1 93
1 94 TH E S I L ENT L EG IO N
paused then added in a low tone : Don t worry 8 0

,
’
Sam Brooke may never

. She paused turning ,
a w ay from her husband .
“ ”
Oh I shouldn t like to count o n tha t ! he said
,
’
hastily .
“
O f course not .
There was a pause both Mr and Mrs S impson , . .
knowing what they had almost hoped then he said : —
“
Well we must go into all the pros and cons when
,
Brooke comes back He i s a t the base He s sure to . .

’
come back all right .
“
Yes Hi s arm i s not per fectly sound yet O f
. .
course t hey won t sen d him into the fi ring line I feel
’
.
”
sure he will come back safe .
Thus they soothed with words tha t shame which

s t irred like an ache in the bottom o f their minds .
“ ”
I am sending him this pair o f socks said M rs , .
Simpson beginning to knit again .
“ ”
G ood idea M r Simpson touched a beauti ful
. .
“
peach o n a dish near I suppose Frank G arret grows
.
”
these .
“
Yes He has tha t place outside F lo dmou th tha t
.
belonged t o hi s cousin on hi s hands still He told me ,

.
”
he was j ust keeping the gardens from going to ruin .
“
Th e girls are using the tickets he sent for the R e d
”
Cross Matin é e to morrow after all said Mrs Simp
-
, .
“
s o n beginning again after a pause
,
E lsie was keen .
to go and I think Barbara feels she neglected her s i s

,
t er a t Scarcli ff e She seems anx ious to do anything

.
”
s h e can to make up for it .
Poor Barbara ! I know she was dreadfully upse t

‘
when sh e found you couldn t get a charwoman after

'
’
.all while they were away said M r Simpson , . .

Bu t we must do o u r best for Barbara urged M rs , .
“
Simpson We both think B rooke an undesirable
.
match for her and i f anything were to happen

“
She paused I t seems no u se advertising the en gage
.
”
ment until we are sure .
M r Simpson frown e d
. .
“ ”
I don t like i t he repeated
’
, .
But Sam ,
Mrs Simpson s breath came fast
.
’
because her heart was throbbing unpleasantly but sh e ,
was going to stab her husband all the same i f it would

“
bring an advantage t o her child You mu s t remem .
ber tha t your business i s gone It was no fault o f .
yours bu t you can do nothing for your daughters

, .
You must pu t your personal feelings on o n e side and

”
le t me j udge in thi s matter what is fo r the best .
M r Simpson waited a moment staring a t his boo t s

.
, ,
filled with a dreary sense o f failure such as he had

'
never known befo re even in his wors t momen t s Then

,
.
he turned round to hi s wi fe .
” “
Very well he said I can t do anything fo r ’
.
,
”
them Do as you like
. And he w ent o u t
. .
She s aw how sh e had hurt him bu t knew too much ,
to touch the wound sh e had made .
Barbara felt the slight unevenness o f a letter tucked

into her blouse as sh e put away the bread but sh e ,
awai t ed a time when she could be undisturbed Her .
o w n turbu l ent thoughts and emotions made her u n
willing to read Brooke s first letter from France under

’
the keen eye o f her younger sister She had an u n co n .
scious intuition that i f E lsie s aw her doing it that ,
tiresome young person would know more abou t her

state o f mind than sh e did herself .
TH E E ND O F S U MM E R 1 97
At last sh e was free to seek her harbour of r e fuge ,
the bathroom and sh e locked the door in a fren z y o f

,
i rritation quite beyond any reason for it H e r hands .
shook as sh e took the crisp thin paper from the envel

,
o p e and the words all ran together She sat down o n

.
the wooden ledge o f the bath G radually the words

.
,
ceased to dance in the greenish light which shone

through the thick glass o f the bathroom w indow .
They settled down into words o f golden fire though ,
they were neither more nor less eloquent than thou

sands coming across to E ngland by the same post Bu t .
t hey like the rest set up a circuit o f thoughts and emo

, ,
tions and had no more actual relation to a wonder

,
achieved than the t elegraph pole ; they were but the i n

s tr u m en t s through which Barbara was able to feel once
more fo r a moment or two as she did upon the sands at

Scarcli ff e Th e thrill o f contact o n first reading was
.
so real that it seemed like hi s lip s o n hers ; but wi th
the second time it faded though reason struggled

,
against feeling and made her tell hersel f this was not
s o ; w hile at the end of hal f an hour the letter was j ust
a very dear love letter w hich had once been alive and
-
,
would be dear always but never alive any more

—
.
N othing would have made Barbara o wn this even t o

hersel f ; and indeed the paper his hands had touched
and the plain account o f his days with a phrase that
,
would r ead to strangers like utter folly towards the

middle and again at the end did have a value for her
,
beyond all reckoning .
She sat dreaming in the green t wiligh t o f the ba th

room like a maid o f legend in the pe llucid depths o f
the ocean as far from conscience as removed al
— —
mos t from the real i ssues o f li fe Then E lsie rattled

.
at the door and all the complicated machinery o f h u

,
man existence once more sounded in her ears breaking ,
the spell She rose and called o u t sharply

.
,
“
What do you wan t ? You can t come in ’
.
I s ay Barbara ! What i s it ? There s nothing

,
’
”
wrong i s there ? asked E lsie in a l o w voice through
“
the crack o f the door Brooke i s not ill or wounded
.
”
again ?
Barbara flung open the door impat i en tly .
“
Hush ! Mother will hear Surely my being in the .
bathroom i s no S ign o f anything wrong wi th Julian ,

”
silly !
“
I knew you came here to read his le tter said ,
E lsie shu t ting the door behind her Th e gi rls were

, .
very near together in the narrow enclosed space with ,
” “
its white walls and greeni sh light Barbara she .
,
“
continued earnestly do yo u really want him o r don t ,
’
y ou ? I f you don t you simply shan t stick to it b e

’
,
’
cause you ve promised I ll write t o him and tell him

’
.
’
the t ruth mysel f fi rst You got carried away I m . .

’
sure tha t was it And now Frank i s hanging round

.
again yo u see you have made a mis take I detes t .
Frank but it seems as i f you mu s t have a young man

,
”
s o I d rather you had o n e we know some thing abou t
’
.
“ ”
I don t want Frank t o send things said Barbara
’
, .
It seems like encouraging other men while Julian i s

away at the Fron t and I think gi rls aren t fi t to l ive
,
’
who d o tha t sor t o f thing .
“
S o do I That s why I think you ough t t o be e n
.
’
gaged openly either to Brooke o r to Frank G arre t I .
hate a lot o f secre t s when there s no need fo r them ’

.
I t s like si tt ing in a stu ffy room wi th all the window s

’
Private B rooke said E lsie going , , ou t of the room

wi th her head in the air .
Thus it came about that Barbara s engagement was ’
n ot spoken o f in Chestnut Avenue where the occa ,
s i o n al V isits o f M r Frank G arret once more began to

.
c ause comment as they had done years ago be fore the
neighbours had ceased to expect any further develop

ments Very little w as sai d a fter all because every
'
.
, ,
o n e was too busy o r too sad o r too anxious to care

, , ,
greatly about Barbara Simpson s love a ffairs but there ’

,
remained tha t tendency to gossip which must exist in

every communi ty small enough to be in any sen s e a
human family .
It was rather com forting than otherwise to Miss

Pelling for instance to know that her neighbours
, ,
were di scussing her diminished income and the fact

that sh e was learning w ith di fficulty to clean and bake
in the intervals o f hospital w ork She did not kn o w .
this o f course and imagined tha t sh e was annoyed

, ,
by their curiosity ; still She was deeply aware in s ome

region beyond her clear cut thoughts that anything -
was better than nobody caring But her appearance .
after the operation o f blacking the kitchen grate for

the fi rst time was such that Mr Binny chancing t o be .
,
a t a back window and seeing her emerge with the ashes ,

“
was impelled to murmur solemnly : Thank Go d I
didn t do it ! I might have run a w ay
’
.
All the same when Barbara said to M iss Pelling

“
I m a fraid this house w ork i s an a w ful bother to you
’
,
“
s h e was met with such a violent I tell yo u I m e n ’
”
j oying it ! that there was no more to be said .
This however was no heroic pose o n the part o f a

, ,
TH E E ND O F S U MM E R
'
20 1
spinster who could not be tran s formed into a perfect

domestic worker by the g r eat influence o f patriotism
in about a w eek like a lady in a book but the de fence ,
o f one who hated pity even more than S he hated house
work which was s aying a good deal

—
.
I t was an example o f the way in which everything

in li fe was being turned upside do w n that Miss Pelling
should glance forth from her window during the a fter
noon with a mark o f black dust over o n e eye A tall .
,
smart lady was coming up the path wearing a fashion ,
able costu me and w ith the most exqui s ite complexion

,
that could be bought for money so exqui s ite indeed —

,
that one arti s tic flaw w ould have left the admiring o n
looker un certain whether it was a gi ft o f Providence
o r a purchase from a diff eren t quarter However .
Miss Pelling was no respecter o f persons and went to ,
the door prepared to greet anybody f r om a shipping

magnate s w i fe to a young lad from the shoemaker s
’
v
’
round the co r ner .
“
G ood afternoon sh e said briskly
-
, .
Th e lady said nothing but stood and stared at Miss ,
Pelling Miss Pelling stood and stared at her There

. .
was something fa miliar

NO sh e hadn t seen the lady with the elaborately
’
waved hair and lovely complexion before .
“
What Can I do for yo u ? sh e concluded ”
.
N othing Miss Pelling You ve done enough you

, .
’
,
have ? ’
“ ”
L illie ! cried Mi ss Pelling Then sh e noted again .
“
the over smart appearance o f her old servant
-
Oh .
,
I m s o sorry I m so sorry And yet you have been

’
,
’
.
hardly t reated I don t know that I can blame

.
’
She stood there with affection for L illie an auste re ,
virtue her queer conviction tha t sh e hersel f might

,
“
given a di fferent nos e — have been o n e o f the high
”
kicking champagne popping sort all combining t o
,
-
,
bewilder her j udgmen t Then sh e became suddenly

.
aware o f the curious gaze o f Mrs Wilson opposite . .
“ ” “
Come in sh e said, We must talk things over
. .
Th e door closed o n the two women L illie who had .

,
never heard the F l o dmou th noises and was not con

scious o f hearing them now suddenly fe l t the dul l
, ,
familiar cadence and the high shriek o f an engine wh i s

tle It accentua t ed that S ilence o f the closed house
.
which became terrible to her as she stood o n the lino

leum trying to force a question over her d ry lip s that
for the first time in her li fe refused t o obey her She .
licked their artificial freshnes s with her tongue and

said
“
The n — Baby isn t here ? He s no t
’ ’
could not say any more .
“
N o ! No ! cried M iss Pelling
”
He s all righ t .
’
.
H e i s being taken care o f by Mrs Hobby the porter s

’
.
,
”
wi fe He i s quite s t rong and well
. .
L illie leaned back for a momen t against th e wall

while the little hall with the pictures sh e had so O f te n
dusted swam about her .
“
You did give me a turn sh e said faintly
,
I .
thought maybe he had got smo thered in the basket ,

”
o r you hadn t found him in time o r something
’
.
,
“ ”
How could you do such a trick ? said M iss Pelling .
But come in and s i t down : yo u don t look fit to ’
”
stand .
S o L illie followed into the kitchen and sat down in

her smart clothes o n the high backed window chai r
-
proving people s hairs and complexions ’

A real .
clever hand sh e i s you can s ee what She s done for ,

’
” “
me added L illie in parenthesi s )
,
I w as sort o f
, .
general servant and did all for her in the living part o f
the house and sh e sai d she was co mfo r t ab l e r than what
,
s he d ever been in her li fe I u s ed to put on uni form

’
.
some times and help to Show people into the shop and
,
that when they were short handed That was how I

,
-
.
met
L illie seemed to have a di fficulty in proceeding .
“
Surely you didn t make a fool o f yoursel f over ’
another man ? I S hould have thought you had had

”
enough sai d M iss Pelling
, .
“
I f you mean Bob Brooke I don t regret i t and I ’
,
” “
n ever shall ! flashed ou t L illie H e didn t behave
’
.
i gh t but I m glad I came across him and I al w ays

’
1
, ,
shall be glad E ven when that wi fe turned up and

.
started scrapping with me about the separation allow

”
ance I didn t wish I d never seen him
’
She pushed ’
.
“
back her beauti fully waved hair But that s all over .
’
and done with I didn t come here to tell you that I

.
’
.
“
came She paused M iss Pelling I m going .
,
’
”
to be married again !
“ ”
What ! cried M iss Pelling Af ter all you ve .
’
j ust
L illie nodded .
“
This i s a di ff erent thing al t oge ther He s an ol d ’
.
bachelor getting into years and he has suddenly found ,
ou t he wants a good cook and housekeeper that can t

’
give notice— though he does go o n s o about my beau

ti ful hair And I want a good home for mysel f and
.
”
t h e child Fair exchange is no robbery
. .
“
Is he a nice man in himsel f though L illie ? sai d ”
, ,
TH E E ND OF S U MM E R 26 5
Miss Pelling It w ould be dreadful for both yo u
.
and the boy i f you got some o n e who was no t kind .
“ ”
Oh yes he s a decent o l d sort enough said L illie
,
’
, .
Only reason he didn t marry before was because he ’
felt frightened o f not being so com fortable w ith a

wi fe and family as he w as w ithout and al ways kept ,
wondering w hether he w asn t giving himsel f a w ay t oo ’
cheap Such like o ften pick up the crooked stick at

.
”
last .
“
H e i s lucky to get a woman such as you said Miss ,
“
Pelling Is he well o ff
“
Yes That reminds me
. She took out a note
“ ”
case from her handsome b ag Mi ss Pelling sh e .
,
“
said earnestly no money won t pay for W hat you ve ,
’ ’
done but I should like to give you the o u t o f pocket

,
- —
expenses you ve been put to with Baby H e — M r ’

.
b
.
W aggl e y knows all about it and he gave me plenty

—
,
t o pay up .
“
You o we me nothing L illie said Miss Pelling , , .
You don t know that your your first husband met

’
—
his brother Julian when they both lay wounded side

by side at R ouen It was o n e o f those strange chances .
”
that ar e al ways happening in this war .
“
Oh M iss Pelling ! Did you hear w hat Bob said ?
,
” “
Did he tell hi s brother about me ? asked L illie It .
”
seems like a message from the dead And sh e began .
to weep .
“
He spoke o f you and gave my address Tha t was .
how Mr Julian Brooke found o u t where Baby was

.
,
”
and he in s i sted o n paying for the child s maintenance ’
,
said Miss Pelling .
“ ”
Julian said L illie
? I think I ve heard Bob men .
’
tion him He w as the youngest But they hadn t

. .
’
seen each other for a long time and my poor old man
never had much to say about hi s relations You can t .
’
”
wonder .
“
You can t indeed said M iss Pelling grimly
’
, .
But I should like to s e e thi s Julian I want to .
hear what they said and how Bob looked poor fel ,
—
”
ler ! said L illie .
“
You can t do tha t I am a fraid Julian Brooke i s
’
, .
”
in France said M iss Pelling ; then sh e hesitated bu t
, ,
“
a t last her good heart had its way : I ll pop across ’
and ask M iss Barbara t o come and speak to you She .
saw something o f your man s brother and may be ’
able to tell you more than I can .

’
“
You are good to me wept L illie quite overcome ,
’’
, .
“
I ve liked yo u better than anybody in the world but
’
him for all you were so aggravating about bringing

,
the dirt o u t o f the garden into the front hall and being
”
late for your meals .
Mi ss Pelling ran across to the Simpsons where she ,
briefly explained her errand and in five minutes sh e ,
and Barbara ente r ed the kitchen together .
” “
Oh Miss Barbara ! cried L illie
,
Miss Pelling .
says you saw my man s brother ; Julian they called ’
him .
Barbara flushed deeply She found it so odd to hear .
that dear name which no o n e had used in her hearing

,
but hersel f come s o casually from the lips o f Mi ss

,
P e l l i ng s L illie O f course the situation was quite nat

’
.
ural and expected but still Barbara did fi nd i t s t range

,
to be con fronted with the fact that sh e was in a ,
way a sister i n law o f L illie But thi s only lasted a

,
- -
.
moment and immediat ely a fterwards despite the

,
—
girl s tinted complexion and superficial smar tness — her

’
Pelling with a secret I I m engaged to Julian .

—
’
B rooke And when he comes back I ll find out as

.
’
exactly as I can w hat Bob said and write it to you I .
”
know oh ! I know how you feel ! And to her su r
—
prise Barbara felt the tears running down her cheeks

, .
“ ”
It s very kind o f you M i ss Barbara said L illie
’
, ,
“
quietly and gravely I hope your young gentleman .
will come home safe from France and that you ll live ,
’
happy with him There s nothing on earth like getting.

’
the one you re really gone on and i f it doesn t last

’
,
’
you ve had it : haven t you ? Things has turned o u t

’ ’
all right but i f they d been ever s o bad I d rather have

,
’ ’
done as I have done than stopped comfortable with ,
M i ss Pelling And now I must be going t o M rs .

, .
”
Hob by s to see abou t taking Baby away
’
.
“ ”
You ll return here fo r the night at any rate ? said
’
M iss Pelling .
“
N 0 thank you I wasn t sure how you d look at
, .
’ ’
things and so I took a room at a temperance hotel

,
.
”
But I shall come t o bid you good bye said L illi e So -
, .
B arbara and Mi ss Pelling accompanied er to the door ,
and she bade them fare w ell but seemed unabl e t o go , ,
hovering uncertainly o n the mat .
“
I haven t said sh e began then s t opped shor t
’
, .
You must think she started again and again ,

“
broke o ff At last sh e managed t o blur t ou t : I don t
’
.
want you to think I didn t want my baby You don t ’

.
’
”
know them nights ! And she went away down
the Avenue with Barbara and M iss Pelling staring
a fter her fashionable imposing figure until it t urned ,
t he corner .
“
Is thi s true about your engagement Barbara ? ,
“
s aid M iss Pelling turning to Barbara then Bu t o f .
TH E E ND O F S U MM E R 2 09
course it is ! Y ou wouldn t be likely to make a j oke ’
o f such a thing at such a time I suppose your father .
”
and mother don t approve and want it kept dark
’
?
Yes ! I have promised to say nothing until Julian

comes home on leave I ought not even to have told .
”
you .
“ ”
Oh I m sa fe ! said Miss Pelling
,
’
.
”
O f cour s e I know that said Barbara Well I ,
.
,
must hurry O ff n o w I promised to take tea wi th M rs

. .
”
Du Caine and the children .
“
And I must get cleaned I wonder w hat L illie
‘
.
’
thought O f my b lackl ead i ng said Mi ss Pelling wi th a ,
laugh .
But sh e thought rather sadly that Barbara came

very seldom to s e e her now and yet sh e realised that ,
youth must cling to youth ; it was natural enough that

these two girls with a husband and a sweethear t o u t in
France Should be dra w n closer together while she was
left outside So S h e washed herself with a quite fierce
.
thoroughne s s and w ent forth to take night duty at th e

H ospital thanking G od for wo r k like many another
, ,
lonely woman in F l o dmo u t h that evening .
In going do w n the Avenue S he encountered M r .
Binny who was coming home rather grey faced and

,
-
drooping hi s long lean figure gaunt against the twi

, ,
light and s h e stopped in neighbourly fashion to tell

,
him about L illie .
“
Dear ! Dear ! You ll be very glad he said ’
Yo u ,
.
behaved with quite unusual kindness to your maid It .
”
all fits in no doubt w ith your democratic ideas ,
.
“ ”
I don t know w hat yo u mean by that retorted ,
“
Mi ss Pelling I liked L illie But i f you mean t o say
. .
I j oin hands with the working man and prance round

‘
a statue o f Anarchy s o as to be in it in case any ,
’
thing happens well I don t ! I leave that t o the

—
,
’
titled ladies in the newspapers .
And sh e whisked away down the stree t leaving M r , .
Binny to sigh as he entered his o wn gate Her S harp .
ness pleasantly titillated hi s rather sluggish mind and ,
he felt lonely and ti r ed and vaguely desired cheer ful

female company beside hi s hear th So long as hi s .
sisters lived he had been all right but fo r the stirrings

o f emotion from which no man i s exempt and there ,
had been no alternative— h e was obliged to remain u n

married in order t o keep fi rs t a mother and then his
s isters . Only now when he could a ff ord t o take a wi fe ,
the ardour which would overcome all obstacles had

p etered o u t : he simply could not ge t over Miss Pell
ing s nose
’
.
By all the laws of justice and sentimen t this should

n o t have been s o but it was : M r Binny sighed again
, .
and went into the house while Miss Pelling walked

c heerfully along the Avenue n o t t roubling about her
,
nose at all for the mental enamel which she had i n

,
s t i n c t i ve l y developed to protect the quivering sensi
t i ve ne s s o f a child who was di fferen t from other chil

dren had become permanent and sh e could never
, ,
a gain feel the agony S he knew in her schooldays when

” “
the boys shouted N osey ! a fter her in the s t reet .
N ext morning Barbara chanced t o see li ttle Kitch

ener being taken away in a cab to the rail w ay station
by his mother and sh e suddenly realised that the o n e
,
outside link between Brooke and F lo d mou th had been

severed Nothing could connect him with the place
.
o r even bring him back there bu t hi s love for h e r

,
.
Then he turned into the Avenue and bumped up against

M r ! Vilson : he would have given almost anything
.
at t h at mo me n t to avoid speaking to M r Wilson but

m
.
,
was forced to brace hi self up to it .
“
G ood evening I ve j ust heard I m truly
.
’ ’
”
sorry Wilson
, .
“
Thank you You ve lost your lad too Y ou know ’
, .
what it i s . All M r Wilson s pompousness had .

’
faded o u t o f him and he was just a desolate middle ,
aged man going home through the raw chill darkness ,
o f a F lodm o u th autumn evening .
A fter a moment or two M r Simpson spoke again .
“ ”
H ow s M rs Wilson ?
’
.
Oh She s splendid after the fi rst shock A Mother

,
’
.
”
feels it as no one else can o f course , .
And thi s echo of Mrs Wilson s capital M sound .

’
ing through her husband s dull voice was someho w no ’
longer ludicrous but deeply pathetic .
“
G ood night S impson
-
, .
They parted w ith relief and yet they were the bet ,
ter for having spoken to each other ; though they had ,
in a sense said nothing at all It never occurred to

,
.
either o f them o f course to speak o f that plac e to

, ,
which thei r only sons had gone M r Wilson indeed . .

, ,
rather thought that he had no definite religious opin

i ons and no definite belie f in a future li fe ; but as he
plodded into hi s house where hi s w i fe sat trying not
to cry for his sake he did most deeply believe that hi s
,
boy was alive with G od and in the glorious company ,
o f youths who have died for E ngland .
For nearly every li fe in the Avenue now consciously ,
o r unconsciously possessed a little window opened

,
upon heaven Those having i t might be pro foundly

.
S AC R IFIC E 2I 3
unaware o f its existence but they could not help thei r ,
lives becoming illuminated by the light o f the world

to come It w as this their boys had done A S they
. .
went they opened that w indo w

, .
So M r Simpson though w ith a bad cold and fretted

.
,
by unaccustomed routine w ork felt ab s olutely certain ,
that he had not lost sight o f Jim altogether And as .
he walked o n he began to feel a little less mi serable

without kno w ing wh y But there i s no doubt that .
Wilson s soul had looked out o f that window and bid

’
den Simpson s soul to do the same F o r a moment

’
.
they had stood two middle aged tired men on their

— -
,
way from a tedious day s business and had looked ’

—
into heaven as surely as any prophet in hi s vision .
Supper was ready almost as soon as M r Simpson .
entered and the family s at round the table talking o f

,
the night be fore when there had been a z eppelin alarm

,
in the city They did not mention young Wilson s

.
’
death because each was a fraid o f saddening the other ,
but they were all most acutely conscious o f the S hort

ness of li fe and its uncertainty and the nearne s s o f
, ,
t h e world to come In Barbara s case as in the case ’

-
.
o f many ardent young women since the beginning o f
history thi s feeling began t o dominate unduly the

—
plans and actions o f her present existence Th e hum .
drum daily round a fter her year s hard nursing in a

,
’
hospital away from home had forced all those feel ,
ings o f high patriotism and high strung endeavour into -
another groove and a less obvious one w here they had

, ,
no particular outlet and were likely to become a dan

ger to hersel f Th e atmosphere about her was so v i
.
b rat i ng with thoughts o f sacrifice tha t she began t o see

sacrifice as an end in itsel f and no longer as a means

,
only She began to find the sor t o f perverse j o y i n

.
giving up which has been a power in the world ever

since men began to think deeply ; and sh e shared in
a measure the state o f mind which belongs to the holy
man on a pillar who forces nails into his body and
feels he i s coming near t o the eternal holiness b e
cause the nails hurt 8 0 .
With all this sh e was quite a normal he althy

, ,
girl so far ; but sh e had deep feelings and a nature

which responded ardently to suggestion As o ften .
happens at times o f crisis in li fe many small hap

p e n i n g s combined to accentuate o n e trend O f thought
o r perhaps thought in these circumstances exercises
, ,
a sort o f unconscious selection picking o u t and ,
dwelling upon what will sustain a point o f view At .
any rate to Barbara s over sensitive perceptions at

,
’
-
thi s period the Avenue was no ordinary street i nh ab

i t e d by people w ith a thousand varying impulses but ,
a place o f sacrifice One inciden t among many which

.
served to deepen thi s impression took place o n a we t ,
morning w hen S he called with a maga z ine at that house

next door to M iss F elling s where Mr M ontgomery ’
,
.
had lodged before he w ent away from F l o d mou th with

hi s finished book o f reminiscences As no o n e an .
s w e r e d her knock sh e entered to lay the magazine o n
the hall table and found Miss Brown fainting near

,
the hat stand Then it t ranspired that the poor lady

-
.
had become a fruitarian mostly o n cheap apples —
i n order to provide her bed ridden mother with strong -
beef tea Barbara remedied thi s state o f things with

.
M i ss P e l l i ng s help so far as M iss Bro w n s urgent

’ ’
”
shadow o f trouble on yo u fo r all th e world your love —
”
keep s me sa fe fo r you .
And when she replied : I t i s chilly and miserable

even here ; real F l o dmou th w e ather Do be sure to .
change your socks when they get wet Brooke read ,

“
o
i n to that : All places are unhappy ones without you .
Take care o f yoursel f for the sake o f your beloved ”

.
Occasionally at the end o f a letter both got a little

, ,
nearer in words to what they meant and Brooke read ,
such a o n e in a hal f ruined cow stable in France by

- -
the light o f a guttering candle which almost made the

,
fros ty dir ty place into a bridal chamber He felt so

, .
near t o her a fterwards as he lay in the dark watching

a streak o f moonlight cross the face o f the snoring
comrade beyond him that he and hi s love did indeed
,
seem to have been j oined in tha t midnight hour by

bonds that no thing on earth o r in heaven could break
asunder .
But a dog t ired soldier canno t long keep V igil even

-
,
with the phantom bride o f hi s imagination and he was ,
soon asleep Th e streak o f moonlight moved across

.
from the other man s face to hi s o wn showing most

’
,
plainly the scars and lines that war and a hard e xpe
r i e n ce o f li fe had made upon it E ven in S leep it was
.
a vigilant face with clo s ed lips and an alert strength

,
ready to assert itsel f in the first second o f awakening :

but about the utterly fatigued attitude of his body
as he slept there was that slight suggestion o f forlorn
ness which had fi rst caught Barbara s heart ’
.
Barbara also lay asleep in the greyish brick house

which despite all dangers and changes seemed by com
, ,
parison so sheltered so beauti fully sa fe like a bird s

— —
’
S AC R IFIC E 21 7
nest in a wood beyond the range o f fire though w ithin

hearing o f the guns She held tight in the hand that
.
was pressed against her face the broken wedding ring ,

-
which had been filed from her finger the morn ing after
s h e and B rooke parted It w a s the only way she
.
could enj oy her trea su r e because all romantic methods

O f wearing it round her neck or against her heart were
open t o detection by the keen eyed E l s ie and not fo r —

,
worlds would Barbara have exposed the secret rapture

o f her thoughts to such a t ouch They were wonder .
ful sacred to be hidden from every o n e for all

— —
,
time bu t her lover It w ould be a glory to show them

, .
to him equally as it w ould be a Shame to let any one

,
s e e them She pos s essed to the full that fierce mod

.
esty o f the soul w hich i s the j oy o f every lover able

to detect i t w hich adds the last high rapture to pos
—
session .
And during that hour while they both slept a thing

, ,
happened which they told each other in letters received

by each o n the same day Both dreamed they met .
under a great elm tree w hose yello w ing leaves w ere

—
falling all round them but a fter a first embrace the

,
whole scene dropped into nothingness as i f a connec

‘
,
ti on were suddenly Shut O ff And they awoke w ith a .
s ense o f loss o u t o f all proportion to the occasion
their very li fe seemed to depend o n knowing what

follo w ed that emb r ace under the elm tree and yet -
something some where w ould not let them know

, ,
.
But even when Barbara learned that Brooke had

endured the same experience at the same time common ,
sense s aid it was a likely enough thing to happen .
Autumn had come with the change o f foliage both in

E ngland and France and they always fell asleep think
,
ing o f each other War and the ext raordinary near

.
ness O f the spirit world made people read into all sorts
-
of things a meaning they would never have seen in

ordinary times So they both j ust hugged the d ream
.
to their souls as a S ign o f nearness and then forgot all

about it .
At the moment o f waking however Barbara still , ,
trembled with that s t range sense o f loss— o f every

thing sh e s o ardently desired in li fe fading suddenly
int o a blank nothingness She clutched the broken .
ring tight in her hand until it hurt her flesh as i f to

make sure o f that at least Then came E lsie s voice .
’
,
startled
“
They re moving abou t downs tairs !
’
What i s it ? Another alarm ? I never heard the

”
buz z er Oh there s M rs B e l l e rby s voice at the door
.
,
’
.
’
,
“
said Barbara springing o u t o f bed
,
She s all alone .
’
in the house with Blanche and Doro thy being away

”
I expect She i s nervous .
“
Silly fool ! Why didn t sh e go to B righ t on with ’
”
them i f sh e feels like that sai d E lsie fastening wrong , ,
“
buttons in her haste and i rritably rebuttoning I
,
.
h a te people like her I wish they d all go away And ’

. .
now you ve got my stockings

’
.
“
I haven t Here they are said Barbara throwing
’
.
, ,
them across the room .
“
Tha t shows you d i d have them said E lsie eyes , ,
“
blazing under her wild hair I do wi sh to good .
ness
“
Come ol d girl ; no need t o ge t ra tty because
,
”
there are z epp s about .
Then M r Simpson s voice up the stairs

’
.
sage added M rs Bellerby

, You are no safer there
. .
,
”
yo u know and it only worries your mother
, .
Suddenly E lsie was in the midst o f them her face ,
twitching as i t used t o do when sh e first began t o

be ill .
“ ”
All right ! she said violently L ook at me then ! .
,
Look at me And let M rs Bellerby go a w ay and s ay

. .
I m frightened to death in an air raid when I m less

’
-
’
frightened than any o f you I wish I could tear the .
outside o f me o ff and sho w you I m I mj ust blaz .

’
—
’
ing inside with not caring only tha t rotten face o f ,
mine would begin to twitch That s why I stopped .

’
outside in the dark by mysel f I h ate you to s ee it . .
There was another thud fur ther away They turned , .
their faces towards the sound .
“
It s going ’
Yes I w onder wha t i t has caught

. .
They paused Barbara took the kettle o ff the fire

.
,
her so ft girlish face set in a stern mask o n which the

gleam o f fir e l i gh t played strangely .
“
They do it to frighten us They don t care so much
’
.
what they hit .
No I t s j ust bullying o n a gigantic scale

“
said
’
.
,
M r s S impson
. .
“
We shall be obliged to do the same back sai d ,
M r s Bellerby
. .
E lsie turned upon them face twitching s till eyes , ,
o n fire .
Yes : and can t you see that s the wors t thing ’ ’
they ve done to us They re forcing us to be like

’
.
’
themselves Th e devil mus t be helping them Only

. .
the devil could

“
H ush dear said M rs Simpson handing a cup
, , .
,
S AC R IFIC E 2 2 11
of tea Sugar ? You d better have some to night

.
’
-
.
“
I don t w ant anything And I can s e e you all think
’
.
I m upset because I m frightened but I m not I wish

’ ’
,
’
.
I could be like Charlotte Co r day and kill the man ,
who sent them o u t and die for it next minute I d di e

, .
’
gladly I d glory in dying

.
’
“
We ve got to live and bear things quietly That s
’
.
’
”
harder still said M r s Simp s on
, H e r e s i t down and . .
“
,
drink your tea E lsie And something in her voice

, .
made E lsie s i t by the table and gulp down the hot tea .
A fter a while they began to talk o f ordinary things ,
and Mrs Bellerby became once more j ust a garrulous

.
woman snatching r e fin e d ly at the more di fficult h s

,
’
as S h e described the glories o f her daughter s soj ourn ’
at Brighton .
“
Dear Blanche s mother i n law M r s E lliott you
’
- -
, .
,
know i s s o devoted And as H ugh i s in France sh e

, .
,
thought a w eek o r t w o at a gay hotel w ould cheer up

poor Blanche so took her to the M étropole with no
,
expense spared and wired to Dorothy to j oin them

,
.
It j ust sho ws W hat bringing girls up simply will do I .
can assure you M rs Simpson she lowered her tone

”
, .
,
“
though Barbara and E lsie were in the sculle ry that ,
my dear Blanche believed the story O f the doctor and

the apple tree right up to the time sh e was married
-
.
It undoubtedly gave a freshness

“
O f course said Mrs Simpson , . .
Dear H ugh worships Blanche ; simply worships

“
her continued M rs Bellerby and now Dorothy
, .
,
but perhaps I S hould not mention this Mrs Simpson ,

. .
I used to have an impression that M r Frank G arret .
and Barbara She paused inquiringly .

”
How ridiculous ! sai d M rs Simpson gaily but her .
,
heart sank within her all the same at what might be

coming for she and M r Simpson had hoped still that
, .
in the end Barbara and Frank would marry A vague .
feeling concerning Brooke also lingered in the back

o f their minds They di d not even put it into thought
. .
Such vague floating phrases as came to the surface

“ ” “
Yo u never know Accidents always happening in
,
” “ ”
war t ime
-
He has been wounded be fore
, they
pushed quickly under at once and declined to be aware
of. Bu t they were conscious that they would not
grieve too much i f Brooke never came back and were ,
uneasily ashamed o f the feeling It was therefore o n .
the top o f all this mos t uncom fortably that M rs, ,

.
Bellerby laid her next item o f information .
“
Frank G arret i s staying at the same ho t el He .
and the girls seem t o be going abou t everywhere

together and he i s charmed with M rs E lliott He
, . .
thinks her perfectly delightful though Blanche says ,
s h e i s rather silent with him Only she i s so glad to .
make things pleasant for any O ld friend o f Blanche s ’

.
She always i s giving things to Blanche and trying in

every way to please her j ust as Hugh would like to ,
”
do himsel f Isn t it wonderful
.
? ’
M rs S impson thought a moment Should She have

. .
done the same for her b oy had Jim left a wi fe behind

him ? She didn t know she didn t know
’ ’
.
At any rate S h e could and did appreciate the rare qual

ity o f thi s other boy s mother ’
.
“ ”
It i s wonder ful she said Blanche has indeed
, .
been a fortunate girl .
“
And now about Dorothy— fo r as there really was
n ever anything I may as well tell you that sh e and
,
of sacrifice impossible to her In fact her whole emo .
t i on al li fe was so wrapped up in her lover that s h e

could no t have allowed another man to touch her in
the way o f love and ye t she was angry tha t Frank
,
G arret had ceased to want her so soon .
M rs Simpson swallowed a sigh and said cheer

.
fully
Dorothy will make a pretty bride .
Yes It seems like Tennyson doesn t it ! Oh !

.
,
’ ‘
happy bridesmaids do make happy brides I t goes

something like that doesn t it ? And s o true ,
’
.
“
Well I only hope ,
began M r s Simpson . .
Then she broke o ff ; and they sat heads raised ey e s , ,
fixed listening
, .
”
That s the All clear buzzer i sn t it ?
“ ’ ‘ ’ ’
,
”
Yes !
“
Thank goodness !
M rs Bellerby rose and pu t on her shawl
. .
“
Then I ll be going I need not inflict mysel f o n
’
.
you any longer I m sure you ll want t o get o ff to

’ ’
.
”
bed .
They went wi th her dow n the passage and stood

in the faint light o f dawn that lit the Avenue through
a choking dampness that passed like a real presence
from the great R iver F l o d to the mainland .
“
You ll be done up after this M rs Simpson
’
, . .
Oh no S o glad yo u came Do be sure and com e

. .
any t ime you are at all uneasy M rs Bellerby ,

. .
They spoke aimlessly wearily glancing a t the , ,
houses opposite .
“
G o o d thing for Miss Pelling she s away ’
.
Yes She went almos t immediately afte r L illi e

.
”
t ook the child to L ondon .
SAC R IFIC E 225
They paused w anting to go to bed and yet unable

, ,
to say the last word .
“
I have o ften wondered what happened t o the
”
soldier who came t o s ee abou t that child .
“ ”
H e s o u t in France
’
.
Well I don t suppose w e shall ever se e him again

,
’
.
Nothing to bring him to F l o dmo u th But he behaved .
very well about the child .
At last M rs Bellerby departed and Mrs Simpson

.
, .
and the girls banked up the fire against M r S impson s .

’
return .
“
We d better go to bed N0 use sitting up i s
’
.
,
”
there ?
“
N o L eave the kettle o n the hob Your Father
. .
will only be worried i f he finds us here .
They w ent upstairs and the t w o girls closed the door

o f their big attic bedroom : dawn was strengthening
outside as they drew up the blinds letting in the cool , ,
damp ai r .
“
I wish we d all stayed in bed said Barbara
’
, .
”
Um ! E lsie sat o n her bed edge frowning an d ,
thinking deeply She looked grey white and exhausted

.
-
,
“
but her eyes burnt very brigh t Barbara I w onder .
,
i f w e can none o f us help i t not the G ermans o r any —
o f us I wonder i f i t s j ust some terrible law o f ’

.
Nature that drives men to kill each other when the

world gets t o o settled and too full I f you read h is t ory .
it seems to happen s o— o ver and over again

“ ”
H OW can yo u think such things E lsie ? cried ,
Barbara turning sharp round from the looking glass

,
-
.
“
I don t think them They think themselves I
’
. .
”
h ate thinking them said E lsie hal f crying wi th pain
, ,
and fatigu e .
”
Poor o l d girl ! said Barbara o n that crooning note ,
“
o f hers Here ge t your things o ff and pop in t o bed
.
, .
”
It s because you re worn o u t
’ ’
.
E lsie saying no m ore undressed quickly and lay

, ,
d own Her S ister was soon asleep o n the other bed

.
,
breathing quietly while sh e remained awake with all

,
sorts o f hal f formulated thoughts seething in her mind

-
.
H owever sh e tried to keep them back they would ,
crowd up through the surface hurting her mocking , ,

“
at all S he held sacred At first she prayed in bed : 0
.
Go d help me not t o think things like this ! Help me

,
”
not to think things like thi s ! Bu t that made no di f
ference a t all and sh e slipped o u t o f bed to kneel
shivering o n the floor : a poor little figure in the dawn ,
con fronted by the most terrible problem thi s age has

had to solve And s h e prayed harder than she ever had
.
done in her li f e until her head be gan to swim and she

—
had to get up from her knees Still it was no use It . .
was like praying in t o a wall o f cotton wool So s h e .
went back to bed again and lay awake staring into the
grey twilight : hoping for nothing ; expecting nothing .
And after quite a long while sh e began as Mrs —

.
Simpson had once done to experience a very faint —
sense o f light and calm spreading over the turmoil o f

her soul I t deepened She was conscious o f the
. .
response while scarcely aware that i t had come .
Soon sh e fell asleep having passed through o ne o f

,
the greatest experiences o f the human soul Only .
when sh e woke in the morning sh e remembered noth

ing o f it Th e knowledge was stored deep down in
.
her girl s memory until sh e should call upon it

’
.
Morning rose grey and chill a t this t ime of the year ,

was pain ful to both o f them For it was not to them .

, ,
j ust leaving a house in Chestn u t Avenue for a smaller

o n e elsewhere— i t was leaving the material fabric o n
which their lives had been built for something new ,
and cold unwarmed by the pleasant habit o f years

, .
“
Th e Avenue will soon seem quite di fferen t ”
said ,
Barbara .
“
Yes Pass the bread please
.
, .
And a picture that w as not so much a picture as a

v ague inner V ision already formed itsel f with slight
di ff erences in each mind ; a vision o f this little c o m

p an y o f the Silent Legion disbanding as silently to ,
take their stand once more in a strange place wi th no

memories to keep them warm Th e winds o f li fe blew .
pretty shrewdly across poor shabby M r Deane as he .
h urried past the Simpsons that foggy morning and

’
,
h e had th e indescribable ragged feathered and forlorn -
look o f a bird turned o u t o f the nest though he was ,
a s tidy and neatly brushed as usual But all the same .
— though he did not dream o f such a thing h e was —
really carrying the banner down the Avenue for the

last time with the F l o dmou th noises playing him out
,
j ust like any other soldier o f E ngland Th e i n sc ri p .
“
tion : Bear and Say N o thing in all i t s dull undra , ,
matic commonplaceness could be read plainly enough

by t he eye o f the soul as he turned the corner .
M rs Simpson unconsciously did so see i t

. .
“
We mus t go and call o n M r s Deane as soon as .
”
they are settled sh e said , .
“
Y o u never called when they were in the Avenue ,
said Barbara “
M r s Deane i s a tiresome gossiping
. .
,
li ttle woman .
Oh I think we ll go w as all M rs Simpson said

,
’
, . .
SAC R IFIC E 2 29 ,
Very decent chap — Deane said M r Simpson ,

.
rising ; for he als o though even more unconsciou s ly

—
“
than his w i fe had seen the banner go past
h — Well ! .
Time I was O ff l
”
E lsie took in the letters from the postman and ran

upstairs to her bedroom When the door was shut she
.
opened a long envelope with fingers that trembled ;

then her face went very pale and her eye s shone like
stars under her untidy mop o f dark hair On the .
flimsy paper were printed four verses o f four lines

each nothing more than that to cause such a look o f
—
rapt exultation And yet after all it was somethin g

.
more ; it was a document making E lsie Simpson free

o f that brotherhood w h o have loved and rej oiced and
su ffered for the w ritten w ord throughout the ag e s .
She was like an initiate j u s t received into some great

mystery as sh e stood staring o u t of the window at a
grey cat o n the sparsely leaved branches o f the plane
tree One part o f her longed to run do wnstairs S hout
.
“
ing out : Mother ! I m an Author ! They ve accepted
’ ’
my verses ! I ve got a rea l proo f to correct ! I m an

’ ’
”
Au thor !
But some other feeling stronger even than that
, ,
forbade her to tell them Th e sort o f wild secretive

.
‘
ness w hich belongs to the time when real literary talent

i s growing in the mind O f s uch a girl as E lsie kept her
fast by the window with her back to the room even
when Barbara entered At last she had to turn round
.
,
but it was with a face so startlingly pale and eyes s o

bright that her sister dropped the pillow and exclaimed ,
sta rtled
“ ”
E lsie ! What ever s the mat ter
’
?
'
N othing !
She moved to her o wn bed and began to make i t ,
while Barbara hastened to help her : as they straight

ened the Sheets Barbara said ,
“ ”
Is your back hurting ?
No I wish to goodness you d leave my back
’
.
”
alone .
“
Oh all right ; I only wanted to get you something
,
”
for it Y ou needn t be so snappy
.
’
.
“
I began E lsie ; then to Barbara s surprise she ’
“
burst o u t crying Oh Barbie I didn t mean to be
.
, ,
’
horri d only— only Th e L ond on Gaz e tte has taken

my piece o f poetry and they re paying me t ten and s ix ’
-
”
pence fo r it .
“ ”
Why E lsie o u r li ttle o l d E lsie ! cried Barbara
—
, ,
“
running round the bed Oh ! Mother always said .
”
you would do something some day ! ,
As the si sters hugged each o ther with the cla tter o f ,
the milk cart coming in through the O pen w indow they

-
,
s aw a grotesquely impossible picture o f an author s

’
career : but even as they drew apart th e emotional ,

“
momen t ended and E lsie Shamefacedly put the lid
,
”
o n such l pp i n g over as sh e mentally expressed it
, ,
with a terse remark about clean toilet covers .
“ ”
But I must talk about it urged Barbara Oh , .
,
E lsie I m so pleased I don t know what to do Fancy

,
’
,
’
.
,
when your first novel comes out and w e se e it on the

”
L ibrary Shelves when w e go to change a book !
Th e genuine j oy in Barbara s tone s o touched E lsie
’
and sh e said abruptly holding o u t the proof : Here

, ,
you can read it ! But don t s ay anything I don t ’

.
’
”
want to hear anything about it .
She believed hersel f to be speaking tru th though all ,

CHA P TE R ! V
J OU R NE Y S
’
A E ND
T midday the came through the mist and

A
su n
shone pleasantly on the narrow street where M r .
Simpson stepped cork like among his peers past many -

,
S hops that had been there ever since he could remem

ber At the end o f the street facing him was a tall
.
, ,
pillar bearing the statue o f an Apostle o f Freedom

which over topped the bridge and the dock offices and
—
,
S hot up straight into a greyish sky permeated wi t h

soft light M r Simpson felt heartened at the sight
. .
o f it someho w fo r it had represented to him since he

,
was a little boy what he now unders t ood E ngland to

be fighting for .
As he walked along he nodded to thi s person and

li fted hi s hat to the other cracking j okes w hen he ,
paused for a moment w ith w aistcoat advanced and ,

“
head a little o n o n e s i de as usual Heard about o u r
‘
, .
new typist ? Flu ff y ; silk stockings ! And Oh M r ,

‘
, .
Simpson I m s o bothered ten per cen t how much i s

,
’
— —
that a year ? But an uncommon nice looking little

’
-
girl I must say

,
And Barbara j ust behind emerging unseen from

, ,
the shop where her grandmother s w edding dress had ’
been bought felt an utter sense o f surprise and almos t

,
o u t rage that her fa ther could speak in that tone o f
2 32
A J O U R NE Y S E ND
’
2 33
any little girl h e being o f course t o her not a man

—
, , , ,
but a father ; a di stinction clear enough to anybody

like Barbara .
Then her father s friend glimpsed her over his

’
shoulder and sa id j auntily

“
Oh ! G ood morning Miss Simpson L ovely day
-
, .
”
fo r the time o f year .
But Barbara responded with a S light distance in her

tone she someho w blamed this friend fo r her parent s
—
’
lapse and the man passed o n

—
.
“
Well Barbara be en buying the shop ? I saw you
, ,
”
through an o ffice w indow going in an hour ago said ,
M r Simpson unconscious o f o ffence

.
, .
“
I ve j us t been getting a fe w things said Barbara
’
, .
Then sh e blushed and tinglingly aware o f thi s she

,
flushed deeper and deeper until the crimson flood

“
invaded her neck and reached her hair E verything .
”
i s awfully dear she added with a nervous laugh
, , ,
looking away from her father .
H e saw her discom fort and it touched him acutely ,
for he imagined that sh e thought he blamed her poor —
child for spe nding her bit o f money there H i s o wn

—
.
face grew rather red as he held o u t the shilling he had

intended to spend o n his lunch .
“
H ere get yoursel f a few goodies o n the way home
, ,
lass the dialect put o n to conceal his emotion a fter

-
a F l od mo u th fashion .
“
N o ! NO ! ”
But he slipped the shilling into her
pocket and sh e turned and walked with him though ,
rather silently They approached the tall monument

.
,
and M r Si mpson looked and seemed then almost

.
, ,
exactly as he had done five years ago Almost ! Th e .
d ifference was so subtle as to be prac tically invisible ,

and yet it a ff ected all he said and thought and did

i t was indeed tremendous F o r he was a man withou t .
a dream In boyhood he had meant to do all sorts o f

.
wonderful things but a fter Jim began to grow up ,
he stopped dreaming for himself and transferred the

dream to hi s boy Jim was going to make all he had
.
hoped for o f li fe come true No w that was over ; .
and the loss a ff ected every sense and every member ,
yet no one could detect where the change was not ,
even M r Simpson himsel f . .
H e and Barbara met several Flo dmou th men wh o

had also lost only sons and they were j ust like him ; ,
they too were men walking about without a dream

, , .
Barbara crossed the bridge in silence then broke ,
through her father s anecdote o f a soldier and an ’
inqui sitive lady to say abruptly I had a letter from :
”
Julian thi s morning .
“ ”
Julian ! F o r the momen t M r Simpson engrossed .
,
“
i n hi s tale failed to remember who Julian was
, Oh .
,
”
Brooke you mean O f course
, . .
“
He s in E ngland !
’
“
E ngland
M r Simpson had a sudden memory o f tha t conver
.
“
sation with Mrs Simpson and said hastily : I hope
.
,
”
the poor fellow i s not badly w ounded ?
“
No t wounded at all said Barbara ; and M r , .
Simpson knew he ought not to have felt disappointed ;

s o it was to put himsel f righ t w ith himsel f that he
j erked ou t heartily
“
We shall be seeing him soon now eh Barbara ? —
,
That ll be something like ; eh ? ”

’
No t yet
“ ”
said Barbara smiling gratefully
, ,
.
“
Julian i s at a hospital in Cheltenham His old wound .
girl look unhappy and he s o hated to see i t that he ,

“
concluded weakly : Perhaps E lsie
But Barbara did not want E lsie .
She d only get knocked up with the long j ourney

’
.
Y ou know that Fa ther ; besides think o f the awful

, ,
”
expense !
”
Yes agreed M r Simpson sei z ing o n thi s idea
, .
,
“
with avidity O f course n o w the fares are raised
.
,
it will be quite an expensive j ourney ! I don t see how ’
”
I am to fi nd the money .
“
You won t have to said Barbara ’
I went t o , .
the Savings Bank and took o u t all my birthday and

Christmas money I had in there I t was quite a lot .
”
over twenty pounds .
“
I m sorry you did tha t said M r Simpson
’
Y ou , . .
had no need to do that I f your Mother and I had .
agreed to let you go we Should have found the money ,

”
someho w I wish you hadn t don e that As he spoke
.
’
.
they w ere passing down a street not far from th e

S avings Bank and he added gravely but kindly
, ,
“
Come with me now and put it back again Barbara , .
Y o u may want your little nest egg far more than you -
do now .
But Barbara stood still a momen t and let the people

at that busy corner surge round about her unheeded .
“
N0 Father sh e said looking him straight in the
”
, ,
face .A s long as I live I can t want it for anything ,

’
more than I do fo r thi s I must go I must You . . .
”
don t know Yo u can t understand
’
. Her lips trem ’
.
“ ”
bled .I want t o see him .
“
Then W here do you imagine you are going to
” “
s tay ? he said D O you contemplate going to the
.
”
h otel by yoursel f ?
A J O U RNE Y S E ND
’
2 37
”
I shouldn t mind that ! flung o u t Barbara
’
But .
as it happens I have the address o f a sort o f boarding

house where Miss Pelling stays sometimes and I have ,
”
wired t o ask i f they can take me in She looked .
round and her defiant mood immediately turned into

“
rather shaky laughter Oh you dear o l d Dad ! Fo r .
,
goodness sake don t look like that ! There s S imply

’
,
’ ’
not a soul at that boarding house under sixty I -

,
”
believe .
“ ”
Wired ! gasped M r Simpson You ve actually . .
’
wired without consulting anybody !

“ ”
I told M other said Barbara , .
”
Told Mother ! repeated M r Simpson S O thi s . .
i s what we get for years o f devotion care and the ,
hundreds we have spent on your schooling told —
”
M other ! And he made a noise between a snort and
a grunt being all the more fierce and blustering because
,
“
he felt he was just going to give in Why can t you .
’
wait till Brooke comes here ? I t s j ust a fancy you ve ’ ’
go t .
Barbara gave him a side look very o d d and i n ,
scrutable full o f the circuitous w oman s wisdom w hich

,
’
i s born in the female child and no man canquite under

stand But she hid her deep motive and let it go as
.
a whim like millions before her

, .
“
You can t help having fancies I feel I must go
’
.
”
to him now he i s in E ngland .
“
Well i f you will you will I suppose sighed M r
, , , , .
Simpson ; but a stirring o f the j ealousy which a father

feels in hearing hi s girl speak o f her lover made him
add testily
G o then i f you are so set o n it ! Though I mus t
, ,
say I can t se e anything so w onderful about the fel

’
low . Then a sense o f j ustice forced him to add

“
N ot that I know any thing against him— o n the
”
contrary .
Barbara slipped her hand through her father s arm ’
and squeezed it tenderly .
Thank you Dad ”

And sh e added smiling : I
, .
,
know wha t you have agains t Julian Y ou wan te d me .
to marry a sort O f sainted millionaire wi th a good

”
temper and plenty o f pleasant relations .
“ ”
N onsense ! M r Simpson also smiled reluc tantly
.
, .
“
I m only thinking abou t your happiness my gi rl ;
’
,
”
you know that .
And he thought he spoke the t ruth bu t it was only ,
a hal f truth ; fo r he desired also like most fathers , ,
t o be proud o f hi s daughter s marriage j us t as he had

’
,
hoped to be proud o f his son s career ’

.
When Barbara reached home She found the col d

lunch o f which the female members were partaking
i n M r Simpson s absence already on the table M rs
.
’
. .
S impson looked up from cutting the bread wi th her

pretty anxious smile
,
“ ”
Well dear ? G ot the margarine ?
,
”
Oh I forgot ! I m so sorry said Barbara
,
’
,
.
Then E lsie entered carrying a large cardboard ,
dress b o x which she placed o n the so fa

-
.
Thi s has j ust come from H arrison s : marked

“ ’
”
‘
U rgent Whatever have you been getting Barbara
.
’
?
,
Barbara frowned and flushed deeply again as sh e

had done when sh e came o u t o f the shop and e n c o u n
t e r e d her fa ther but sh e walked straight to the box
, ,
took up a dinner kni fe and cut the string .
“
There ! she said li fting out a pretty neat coa t and
”
, ,
2 4
But even in face o f that M rs Simpson forced her .
sel f to go o n She was not in the least a fraid o f

.
Barbara but she was s o terribly afraid o f intruding

, .
“
All the same sh e made hersel f say : Those new
clothes ! You re you re not thinking o f getting mar
’
—
’
”
ried without telling us Barbara ? ,
“
No .
”
You ll promi se me n o t to do that B arbara
’
?
,
There was no reply Barbara made a noise with a .
pile o f dry crockery and carried it into the pantry .
M rs Simpson followed It was an extraordinary

. .
reversal o f any scene that could have taken place be

tween M rs Simpson and her mother . .
“ ”
Barbara don t you hear me ?
,
’
“
I m not going to make any promi ses I t old you
’
.
I had no intention o f marrying without your knowl

”
edge I do wish yo u wouldn t bother me so
.
’
.
Yo u are my daughter I must try to take care o f .
It s very good o f you Mother but I am quite well

’
, ,
”
able to take care o f mysel f said Barbara ; then she ,
took up a basin o f refuse and wen t o u t o f the back

door into the garden .
M rs Simpson s lip trembled but she controlled her

.
’
sel f S o this was the reality o f the scene S he had so

.
o ften pictured when she and Barbara Should talk

together about a wedding Slo wly heavily sh e went .
, ,
to her so fa and lay down .
In the evening when S h e and M r Simpson were .
alone together after the girls had gone to bed sh e told

, ,
him what had happened .
Tha t man
“
I can t make Barbara o u t he said
’
, .
A J O U RNE Y S E ND 4
’
2 1
seems to have quite changed her nature She seems .
t o care about nothing and nobody so long as S h e can

”
get to him .
Y e s — I mus t say I almost wondered a little w hen

”
sh e was so ready to go to Scarcli ff e hesitated M rs ,
.
“
Simpson I should have made her go in any case
.
,
o f course but I thought sh e would take a little per

,
”
s u ad i n g .
“
Dear me ! I never thought o f tha t said M r , .
“
S impson You may bet your li fe tha t was at the
.
bottom o f it Otherwise s h e would have insisted o n

.
your going with E lsie You wanted the change more .
than she did He rattled his paper impatiently

. .
Th e chap seems to have bewitched her

“
I suppose .
”
it s no use forbidding her to go to Cheltenham
’
.
M rs Simpson shook her head

. .
“She would go all the same and with a bitter feel —
ing towards us that might drive her into any folly .
There was a pause some ashes dropped on the hearth ; ,
then M r s Simpson roused hersel f to com fort her hus

.
“
band I wouldn t worry too much Sam Barbara ’
, .
i s to be tru sted .
“
But she s so altered I never though t our girl could
’
.
“
get like thi s Harriet said poor M r Simpson,
She , . .
doesn t seem to care tuppence about u s— after all the

’
”
love and care we ve given her ’
.
“
No 11 0 Sam It isn t that
, And a very sweet
, .
’
.
“
smile lit up M rs Simpson s tired face She ll come .
’ ’
b ack to us : it s only for the time be ing I ve known

'
.
’
other girls j ust the same and they all came back in
”
the end .
Well I never though t Barbara would be like that ,
though .
Neither did M rs S impson really : for she had

.
,
cherish e d unconsciously the beauti ful belief o f all

mothers that their children will be the chosen ones who
do not hurt their parents ; but sh e ranged hersel f be
“
side her daughter and said cheerfully enough : After
a ll it might have been much worse At least Julian
,
.
i s a gentleman and possessed o f some little private

means It may be a very happy marriage
. .
“
I wish to goodness S he d taken Frank G arret ’
,
“
muttered M r S impson not that I care much about
.
,
him personally only I think sh e would have had a

, ,
”
greater chance o f happiness .
“ ”
Well there it i s ! said M rs Simpson bu t a fter
,
.
,
“
a minute o r two sh e added vehemently : An d yet
people laugh at love when it s the thing tha t Shapes
—
’
more lives than anything else in the w orld !

“ ”
Yes For a minute o r t w o Mr Simpson also
. .
brooded But soon he bestirred himself to say with

.
,
“
a chuckle that had no heart in it : One o f the key
trades since the beginning and always will be Amen ; ,
”
eh Harriet ?
,
S o they turned back the hearth rug and lit a nigh t -
light o n the mantelpiece in case o f an alarm and wen t

to bed
“
When the t rain was once rea lly o ff and Barbara ,
s aw the familiar mud banks running along past her -
carriage windows s h e experienced a sense o f relie f

,
which entirely ousted any thought o f regret for those

sh e was leaving behind Th e newspaper which M r . .
Simpson had given her lay unread o n her knee while

s h e s at back l u x uriatin g in a cessa t ion o f the s t rain
2 4
L iterary L ectures alone this winter Th e tickets for .
the course came j ust be fore I started She looked .
“
at Barbara suddenly frightened
,
I don t know what .
’
I m going to do I ve nobody else

’
.
’
.
Barbara could s ay nothing for the catch in her

throat and the little lady went o n almost immediately
That s w h y I m eating these lozenges
“ ’ ’
I am very .
anxious t o keep up I know he would like me to keep

.
up He did S O dislike crying and that sort o f thing

. .
“
She paused and held o u t the tin box : Won t yo u ’
”
have o n e ?
As Barbara took a lozenge and held it in her hand ,
a deep crimson surged over face and neck She was .
suddenly seized with a violent unreasoning horror o f ,
war such as many women have felt during the past

—
t hree years War was an evil thing What ever

. .
glorious deeds and thoughts came too it was evil , .
“
Then she heard the woman s aying : Here i s o u r
train and they went to it There was no chance for
”
, .
further t alk in the crowded railway carriage and Bar ,
bara soon began to think o f her o wn a ffairs as the

train rushed along hour a fter hour through the autumn
fi elds All the same benea th her thoughts o f that
.
,
meeting which drew S O near now— i n th e same way

that the F l o d mo u th noises and the sound o f the waves
had accompanied thei r real meetings— was a murmur
that sh e did n o t notice ei ther ; but her soul heard it .
Th e Promenade at Cheltenham i s a delightful place

about tea time on an early N ovember day wi th the
-
,
sun just setting and the lights all t winkling out An .
o l d rook going home o ften caws wi th the pleasant
quain tness o f a dairy maid going through the ci ty and

-
,
A J O U R NE Y S E ND 45
’
2
the high trees gently let fall their yellow leaves upon
the stir o f traffic and the constant trip trip trip o f - -
moving feet o n the wide clean pavement Then o n

, .
,
the further side o f the road are fine shops having in

them all manner o f gay things to w ear and florists ,
w ith great vases o f flowers and splendi d booksellers ;

,
while to the le ft o f the noble path way under the high

trees are little narrow gardens s e t w ith statues and
fountains and beyond them again are seen the tall
,
straight fronted hou s es s et in a row with o l d fashioned

- -
primness and quietude against the advancing evening .
As B arbara came do w n the steps o f o n e o f these

houses sh e received an impression o f something o r
dered and o l d and leisurely which had adapted itsel f
in the most beauti ful way to the needs o f the passing
hour It w as so lovely and yet so fitting and E nglish
.
,
down t o the very women who walked along the pave

ments w ith their sophisticated charm and pretty faded
faces women w h o had been bleached under Indian
—
suns or had gro w n worn looking with following the

-
drum to palmy forgotten places And that fresh youth

, .
might be there too a string o f blue clad girls came

,
-
along with eyes bright and cheeks all rosy in the cold .
For a little while Barbara forgot the w orry and sad

ness w hich had preceded her j ourney and only felt
s h e was going to meet her lover It seemed right that
.
he Should come towards her on that broad walk in hi s

blue hospital uni form j ust as She had first seen him
, .
She kne w a moment o f perfect happiness .
“
I was so sorry I couldn t get to the t rain t o meet
’
yo u , he said .
And yet he said a thousand other things ; the still ,
dampish air that was fragrant o f fallen leaves vibrated

2 4
between them with the lovely things they were saying

to each other .
“
Yo u told me you migh t not be able to meet me I .
found the boarding house all right It s j ust over

—
.
’
”
there said Barbara
, .
“
I never thought you d really come Oh Barbara
’
.
, ,
I can scarcely believe it ! I can scarcely believe it

”
yet !
Then t hey noticed a smile a very kind little smile
—
— o n the face o f a woman passing

; and they suddenly
r ealised they were still holding hands .
“ ”
L et us go and have some tea h e s ai d There s
’
'
.
,
a capital place j ust across the way I s ay ; isn t this ’

.
”
g lorious ?
“
Oh Julian ; it seems too good to be true
, .
S o they went across the road he with his hand in ,
her arm to Show all the world she was his and sh e ,
leaning a little towards him to Show all the world he

w as hers Then they reached the clean pavement that
.
sounded s o pleasantly under Barbara s tapping heels ’
a n d followed a fat lady into the big confectioner s shop

’
at the corner .
Th e ground floor covered with little tables was

almost full but they found a place in an alcove and
,
looked round from that harbourage o n piles o f cakes ,
and announcements about Chri stmas parcels and o n ,
the faces o f people who were cheerful for the sake o f

others i f they could not be so for themselves .
“ ”
Care l sai d Barbara taking an excuse for touching
,
“
her lover I see your poor arm i s in a sling ; you
.
must not let people brush against it And he was so .

”
thrilled by her touch that he could scarcely answer her

for the moment .
2 4
8 TH E S I LENT LEG I O N
He held her hand so tightly tha t i t hurt bu t the ,
pain only added t o her j oy sh e liked him to hur t her

—
.
Th e little pain seemed t o prick home the rapture o f

thei r secret contact amid this cro w d of people .
“
Did you think o f me a lot when you were ou t
”
there ? E ven when you wen t into action ?
“
I never thought o f yo u and I always did ; I never
had t o think o f you Y o u were always there in my
.
mind But when a man goes into action he doesn t

.
’
think abou t any thing at leas t I didn t h e j ust feels

—
’
—
ready
“
R eady fo r what ?
Barbara leant towards him lips parted eyes darkly , ,
dilated and the sight o f her thus made him pull up

,
Short .
“
Oh ready for o ff he said
, Here have another
, .
,
”
cake ? And he withdrew hi s hand to pass the plate .
She drew a long breath and s at straighter feeling ,
a little chilled and rebu ff ed .
“
I ve fi nished thank you sh e said
’
, Shall we be
,
.
”
going ?
She helped him care fully into his overcoa t which
hung loose over hi s damaged arm and covered the blue
uni form It was already almost dark when they came
.
o u t and stars were beginning t o shine here and there

,
in the sapphire sky over the tall trees o n the other

side o f the w ide road As they felt the fresh air in
.
their faces the mood o f the last few minutes cleared

away and they felt lightly j oyful once more in each
,
other s company
’
.
“
I say ! How pretty the shops look Julian ! ,
Yes There s a j eweller s here I want you t o see

.
’ ’
.
”
What for ?
A J O U R NE Y S E ND 4
’
2 9
He slipped hi s right arm in t o hers and laughed in

her upturned face .
“
You know you little humbug ! By the way , ,
where have you got the two bits of that wedding ring -
I gave you ? ”
“
I have them in my purse I wanted to wear them .
round my neck as I said ; but I couldn t be cause o f,

’
,
”
E lsie .
“ ”
E lsie ! Wha t s E lsie t o do wi th i t
’
?
We share a room toge ther She d see .

’
.
”
Well ! He still kept her arm but sh e felt him ,
“ ”
sti ffen . You re not ashamed o f it are yo u ?
’
,
“ ”
O f course not She clung tighter You kno w. .
I m not Only E lsie makes such fun

’
. I didn t want ’
any one to She paused and said in a very l o w

“
tone : I t i t was s o awfully private Julian !
—
So ,
j ust be tween you and me I didn t like ’
“ ”
N o no ! I s ee I m glad yo u didn t
, .
’ ’
.
And in the faint light from the shop window she

s aw how hi s seamed and vivid face glo w ed w ith pale
adoration o f her girl s reticence and s w eetness H i s ’

.
dark eyes burnt into hers as he drew her away from

the window .
“
Come inside dear I m going to choose yo u , .
’
”
another .
She held back H e was surprised and l i f mad .

a
-
d e n e d by her sudden oncomings and withdra w als and ,
yet he was sure she was no coquette ; they were ab so

l u t e l y the reflection o f her feeling they mirrored —
s omethi ng deep and hidden in her girl s heart that a ’
man perhaps could not understand .
“ ”
Don t you want another ring from me Barbara ?
’
,
“
he said gently I mean an engagement ring o f course
.
, .
We w ill have the broken wedding ring pu t together -
again somehow and get married with that ; I couldn t ’
”
like any other s o well .
H e was groping trying to find o u t wha t S he wanted

—
—
what sh e had in her mind .
I m I m tired !
“ ”
s h e said with a little hal f sob
’ ’
— -
.
“ ”
I d rather n o t choose o n e to night Julian
’
-
.
,
“ ” “
Why he gave in at once what a brute I am !
, ,
I ought t o have remembered after all tha t long j our —
ney and the fuss and bother o f getting o ff And I .
dare s ay you didn t sleep much la s t night Poor little

’
.
Barbara ! Poor little Barbara ! You ll think I shall ’
make a nice husband I ll j ust take you to your board

.
’
ing house and go back to the hospital It s time I

-
.
’
”
went in anyway , .
They crossed the road to the beauti ful broad walk

under the high trees and so many leaves had fallen
,
that the dark sky gleamed through lighted by the ,
stars .
“ ”
All righ t now ? he W hispered .
”
Yes .
They walked in silence filled w ith the j oy o f being ,
together everything else seemed to have faded out

—
o f their lives Then he took her to her boarding house

.
-
and their parting was witnessed by a thin lady usher -

1
ing o u t a female gues t .

L ater in th é day Barbara s at on a seat just beyond

‘ '
the quaint and narrow gardens which divided the paved

way be fore the boarding house from the w alk under -
t he trees A little marble fountain was playing near

.
at hand and the leaves fell so ftly gently every now

, , ,
and then ; resting like flakes O f gold o n the water A .
leisured traffi c passed up and down o n the main road ,
no t enough t o trouble an onlooker and yet giving a ,
sense o f movement and li fe On the broad pavement .
across the road Barbara could se e through this still

, ,
sunnily mi sty air the same sort o f women as walked

—
,
there the evening before wearing even th e dowdiest ,
shabbiest clothes with an air which marked them o u t

as not provincial They had been o u t in t o the world
.
,
“
for t o see and t o admire and though they might ,
have settled down to a very narrow and bickering o l d

age here they bo re the impress o f where they had
,
wandered in the fi rst flush o f youth Old men moved .
among them stopping to speak with a dim reflection

,
o f past gallantry and a few lads o n leave o r in hospital

,
went along either alone o r in company : but w hoever

it was they nearly all looked cheerily o u t at li fe obey
, ,
ing the un w ritten order that no British gentleman i n -
arms should pull a long face .
Barbara was j ust beginning t o feel cold in spite o f

the pale sunshine which lay so beauti fully on the stained
marble (stained greyish and not golden as it would , ,
have been o u t o f E ngland ) and upon the delicate

spirals o f water and the yellow leaves floating in the
basin S o S he rose and walked slo wly up and down
.
for awhile until at la s t sh e saw Brooke crossing the

road Instantly all that had been charming be fore
.
,
took o n an aching beauty that permeated her soul more ,

CH ELTEN H AM 2 53
like something remembered than a scene actually b e

fore the eyes .
H e graspe d her hand and held it searching her face , ,
making sure O f her presence ; it s eemed as i f li fe could

scarcely hold such happiness .
“
Did you sleep well ? Are you com fortable in your
boarding house -
Then they w alked o n because they were again forced

to become a ware o f passers by ; thi s time a lady with
-
a little yapping dog who w as eyeing them with fa t

,
contempt ; it seemed so ridiculous to her because sh e

had long passed by o r never known that j oy And at .
a place where three roads met they paused a minute ,
and chose a wide o n e w ith the great yellowing trees

still edging o n e side and straight fronted tall house s -
,
o n the other As they passed a seat with two soldiers

.
sitting o n it o n e man said to the other in a voice which

, ,
the lovers could n o t help hearing

“
Well arm o r no arm h e s all righ t !
— —
’
And the lovers smiled into each other s faces thei r ’

,
pleasure in some way made more keen by this expres

sion o f good natured envy -
.
“
Poor chaps ! I wish they were in the same boat ,
said Brooke .
“
So do I Oh I do W i sh we could give them some
.
,
”
treat I S there no treat w e could give them
.
? cried
Barbara face sweetly flushed and all aligh t
, .
But Brooke was not so altruistic as all that and he ,
drew her o n laughing at her tenderly

, .
“
We can t give them their w ives and swee theart s
’
,
” “
o l d girl he said N ot that they re all so very kee n ’
, .
o n having their wives ; you can t blame em ei ther

’ ’
.
“ ”
Fancy marriage ever getting to that Julian ! ,
25 4 TH E S I LE NT LEG IO N
It seemed incredible to Barbara incredible even to —
Brooke who had known the reality o f marriage b e

, ,
cause love i s like spring renewing everything , .
But the word marriage sang in hi s ears ; he pu t hi s

hand through her arm and murmured passionately
“
I ve not ki ssed you properly since you came I mus t
’
.
,
somehow I can make allowances now for the poor

.
beggars you see making such fools of themselves in

the streets and parks in an ev ening How are they .
”
to do di fferently when they ve nowhere else to go ? ’
Barbara trembled before h i s fie rc en e ss and yet i t was

a j oy to her .
“ ”
Don t you wan t t o as well ? he asked almost
’
roughly .
“
Y o u know I do sh e sai d very low , .
But it s no use my going to the boarding house

’
-
,
“
h e stormed Th e place is fu l l o f o l d women going in
.
an d out Besides I must think o f you : I shouldn t

.
,
’
like any o n e to have the right t o say a word o f course .
H e looked round impatiently at the trees and the

“
straight o l d houses S o many places and no w here
.
fo r us to g o ! I want to talk seriously to you and yet

I can t until I ve had o ne good kiss I m I mhunger
’ ’
.
’
—
’
i ng for i t Barbara , .
Hi s voice caugh t harshl y o n that and Barbara s ’
whol e soul melted at the so und Poor boy ! Poor .
b oy !
She t oo looked round at the straight houses where
, ,
s o many lovers must have S heltered ; then her quick
wits qui ckened by his l o nging and her o wn made her

, ,
c ry o u t sudde n ly— fl
W h y J u lian ! I k n ow wha t we can do

,
We can .
eyes closed But he had to satisfy hi s hunger for

.
her lips At last he let her go

. .
“ ”
Oh Julian ! sh e murmured faintly
,
Your bad .
a rm You ll have hur t your bad arm

.
’
.
And thi s simple thought for him in the midst o f her

o wn passion which he had felt responsive in her
, ,
brought him back to himsel f He pushed hi s hair from .
hi s forehead and pi cked up the cap which had fallen

o n the floor Then he went across and open ed the
.
window .
“
Come and s i t o n the window seat he said speak -
, ,
“
ing rather j erkily and breathlessly still You ll feel ’
”
t h e s u n there .
“
Yes She let her hand fall o n her lap and the
.
sunshine bathed her in mellow autumn radiance Out .
side the last crimson trailers o f the Virginia Creeper

hung across the upper panes o f the window and cast
delicate shadows through the soiled glass 0 1 t o her
face She seemed to him most exquisitely lovely and
.
appealing as sh e s at there tired by his passion He

,
.
w anted to protect her from that as from everything

else during the moment he stood there looking down ,
at her Then Barbara looked up at him and smiled

. .
“
Don t you wish we could have this house for o u r
’
”
o wn Julian
,
?
“ ”
Yes He paused
. N o I don t I mean
.
,
He ’
, .
pulled himsel f together and smiled back a t her master ,

“
o f hi s emotions once more We re going to have a ’
.
”
much nicer house than this Barbara o u t in Canada
, , .
To hi s surprise as he said that all the glow and

, ,
so ftn ess died o u t o f her face : the little lines round the
mou th showed more plainly than he had ever seen them
CH ELTEN H AM 2 57
before those tiny lines he loved because they were a

—
part o f her .
She w aited a moment and then said looking o u t o f ,
the window
“
You like Canada ? You want t o go back ?
” “
Y o u bet I do he said I ve a li fe o u t there ’
. .
,
Here I should have no chance at all I never was any

,
.
good at clerical work and I don t understand E nglish ’
farming Besides my whole property i s be ing made

.
,
yet and I could never realise at present to bring in

,
anything worth while I couldn t possibly fin d enough .

’
capital to sta rt a second farm in E ngland even i f I ,

”
w anted to He paused glancing sharply at her
.
, .
“ ”
You don t funk going o u t with me
’
?
“
Why ! Don t you remember you said at the Pic
’
ture Palace that first time we were alone that I w as ,
cut o u t for a colonist s w i fe s h e said Then S he

’
.
added in a l o w tone and wi th a wistfulness he could n o t

“
understa nd : N 0 Julian ; I m not a fraid o f a li fe o u t
,
’
”
there wi th you .
“
But your people I fear won t like it What do , ,
’
.
”
they say ?
She looked down twisting her fingers , .
“
They don t say anything I ve not told them
’ ’
. .
N ot told them ! You ve said nothing about my ’
”
getting my discharge and going back to Canada ?
“ ”
No . She waited a moment wondering what was ,
going to happen next ; then instinct came to her aid

and sh e rose and S lipped her hand through his arm ,
“
pressing hersel f against him I wanted to get o ff .
W ithout any fuss and discussion I wanted so t o come —
”
t o you dear
, .
And the tide o f his pa s sion swep t over him again ;

he could not keep hi s mind clear enough t o reason o u t

wha t her words meant h e only knew sh e was i m —
measurable dear and that he could feel her s w ee tness

pressing against him G ently after he had kissed her
.
,
—
as i f she were something breakable and precious
h e put her down o n the broad window sill again and -
s at beside her with her hand in his Th e trail o f crim .
s o n Virginia Creeper making shadows o n her pale face
for some reason caused him to picture her walking

i n his apple orchard in S pring with the wind in her
hair leaning t owards her with her hand tight
clasped he told her o f the li fe out there that they
,
were going to live together He d worked for it and .

’
earned it by ceaseless toil and it was a part o f him ;

s h e realised tha t as sh e wa t ched his face and lis t ened
t o hi s voice .
“
Thank G od I ve got it to fall back on now he
’
,
“
said . Th e doc t ors think my arm may get nearly righ t
again in the dry Canadian air but I have reached a ,
point where I can a fford to hire for the actual manual

labour ; o r I may take the man who i s looking after
it now into partnership I ve no t settled yet what I .
’
”
shall do exactly He paused smiling with his bright
.
, ,
“
dark eyes into hers There s o n e thing certain and
’
.
,
”
it s the o n e that matters most you ll be there !
’
.
’
Barbara released her hand and sat plucking her

gown and looking down .
“
Y ou would hate to b e in an office in E ngland o f ,
”
course .
“
I Should loathe it Besi des I m no good at o ffice
.
,
’
work and I could never ge t t o be anything more than

,
a clerk o r a shopman here My j ob s out ther e and .

’
”
I m glad o f it I like the fr ee dom o f the li f e
’
. .
And beneath that her soul listened again to th e same

under sound which sh e had been gradually hearing
-
more and more clearly during the past year in Plod

mouth which had in all those months when her
—
,
hands and n o t her mind were occupied become a sort ,
o f obsession colouring everything coming in t o every

, ,
thing while sh e hersel f remained unaware o f any ab

,
normal s tat e o f mind .
Bu t thes e feelings all pass ed through her be ing in

“
the brie f time between her saying a fterwards
and his replying gravely
”
D O yo u want me to stop in E ngla nd Barba ra ? ,
She looked straight a t him exaltation and ye t clear ,
t ruth in her eyes .
“
N 0 Julian I would rather you went back
, , .
Because I didn t enlist with the Canadians you ’
kn o w I came over o n my o wn and j oined up here

.
,
s o I am not obliged t o go over t o Canada to get my
d ischarge I can simply stay on here i f I wish

.
, .
“ ”
But yo u don t Julian She tried t o smile and
’
, .
s peak lightly touching hi s hand ; for sh e had learned

,
her power to di s tract him by touch from seeing too

clearly what was in her thoughts .
S O he took her in hi s arms again murmuring close ,

“
t o her so ft cheek : Yo u don t mind this dear ? Do ’
,
”
yo u ?
“ ”
Mind ! She clung t o him What makes you say .
”
that ?
“
I don t know Y o u looked so pale sitting in that
’
.
window As i f I d tired you o u t somehow

.
’
, .
“
No no ”
She pressed her head o n his shoulder
, .
a n d let her body relax say i ng in tha t s t rang e inward , ,
v oice :
“
No! ! Thi s i s rest ”
.
CH ELTEN H AM 26 1
Barbara to think o f the time when I Shall have you

,
always : coming in from work and you there ; an d

no saying good night My o wn little love Y o u do -
. .
”
love me don t you ? ,
’
“ ” “
Oh Julian I do love you ! sh e w hi spered
, , I ve .
’
lain awake and thought o f yo u and w anted so t o ki ss

the scar o n your face : I don t know why I always ’
”
though t o f that .
“ ”
My little girl ; my s w eetheart ! he murmured in
“
a transport o f tenderness We must be married
soon whether I can take you over with me at presen t
,
”
o r not But i f I once get yo u h o w can I leave you ?
.
She lay in his arms a few moments w ithout speak

ing then S he got up and took her hat from the man tel
,
piece
“
W e must go now .
Yes I suppose so o r we Shall have that sour faced

, ,
-
o l d party from next door coming to s e e i f we have
stolen the gas fitti ng s He looked round at the win

-
.
dows and the panelled walls Tell you what Bar .

,
bara i f I were a millionaire I Should buy this hous e

, ,
just as it stands for us to stay in when we come to

visit E ngland Then when we go t to be o l d folks o u r
.
selves and the young ones could run our place in

,
Canada we might come here for long spells at a time

,
Seems to me Cheltenham w ouldn t be a bad place to S it ’
down in after the day s work was over There s some ’

.
’
thing about these ol d houses that would go well wi th

”
a happy old age .
“ ”
O h ! Don t ! Barbara turned round sharply with
’
her hands still to her hat ; then she began to cry bit
t e r l y bu t stemmed her t ears almost as soon as they be
,
an
g .
Why : what s the matt er dear he said hurrying

’
?”
, ,
“
across to her Has the pin pricked you
.
She walked t o the door and turned then facing him ,

“
with a smile Silly ! As i f I should cry because a
.
pin pricked me !
“ ”
Then what was it ?
She preceded him through the hall head bent ,
“
I didn t like t o hear you talk about get t ing
’
I —
o ld s h e faltered .
Was tha t all ? L ittle goose we shall have t o grow ,
o l d some day ; and I am thinking o f all the lovely years

”
in between He paused j ust inside the door and
.
ki ssed her once again : then he turned the key in the

lock and they emerged from the shadows into the
bright a fternoon .
“
G ood bye O ld house he said
-
, We won t for , .
’
”
get you ; will we Barbara ? ,
Barbara shook her head and said nothing bi t ing her ,
lip .
But when he came down the steps next door after

delivering up the keys sh e was quite gay and smiling , .
“ ” “
Come ! sh e said L et us go and have tea some .
”
where
”
“
R ight O ! I m a true Canadian for liking a cup o f
’
-
tea but I like it good and strong too with plenty o f

, ,
”
ugar in it
s
.
“
Y o u always drink it with your dinner o u t there ,
”
don t you ? ’
And so Barbara led him o n t o speak o f every tri fling

detail o f hi s li fe in Canada hanging o n his words as ,
he described the cooking stoves and meals and long , ,
drives in wintry weather and parties at Christmas ,
t ime as i f it were some wonderful tale o f U lysses

,
.
by Barbara s side past the Shops wi th their gay frui t

’
and lustrous fish and all the coloured variety o f thei r

wares In the whole o f hi s adventurous li fe he had
.
never be fore felt so lulled into a quiet reali sation o f

things happy now and going to last Hi s j oy w as so
, .
deep that it became quiet j us t sparkled over at the ,
t o p by little remarks he made t o Barbara for the

pleasure o f hearing her voice and seeing her face turn
to him .
When they reached the same j eweller s that th ev ’
had noticed the a fternoon before he said to her ,
We ll go in now to buy that ring Barbara I

’
, .
won t be put o ff any longer

’
And he marched in .
,
leaving her to follo w .
Th e elderly shopman spread t rays o f di fferen t j ewels

for her to choose from glancing with sympathy from ,
the wounded soldier to the girl So here it was again ; .
war su ff ering loss and ye t love holding strong

— — —
through it all to remain when all else was gone Thi s

,
.
was what his heart said under his dry and starched ,
exterior though he was not aware o f his heart speak

,
ing a t all He only made up hi s mind not to bring out

.
“
any very expensive rings for fear the poor chap
”
should be run in for more than he could a fford But .
Barbara so insisted o n having a very cheap o n e W i th

o u t stones that he was after all di s appointed a little ,
for he was a tradesman and human However he .

,
could not feel really sorry because o f that voice in hi s ,
heart and he murmured as he handed the receipted

,
“
bill : Chaste design ; and i t has the advantage o f being
suitable to wear at all times and seasons like a wed
”
d ing ring
-
.
B rooke beamed at the little grey man who thus so

CH ELTEN H AM 26 5
splendidly consoled him for his disappointment ; and
as they came o u t o f the shop he took Barbara s arm ’
and w hispered
So tha t was it ? Y o u wanted o n e you could do
c hores in you darling !
, I j ust love you for that more
than ever be fore Barbara ,
H e had stopped short in .
the midst o f all the people and a fresh faced fiery o l d -

,
gentleman in spats quite snorted as he bumped into

t h e couple ; then s aw Brooke s arm and said quite
’
“
humbly : I beg your pardon s i r , .
“ ”
Wha t o n earth are you stopping fo r Julian ? said ,
Barbara .
“
Th e broken wedding ring that wants j oining to -
gether and making to fit you properly You ve got it .

’
in your purse haven t you ,

’
“
Oh don t let u S bother with it now said Barbara
,
’
, ,
hurrying o n .
“
But it would be s o easily done here protested ,
Brooke obliged to follow her

, .
She shook her head .
“
No t now Then she ca ugh t sight o f a chocola t e
.
“
S hop and sei z ed on a distraction Oh do go in and .
,
get me some chocs ! I ve n o t had any for such an

’
”
age.
“
Well He allowed the matter to pass fo r
the moment and came forth in two minutes w ith a
NO W for the j eweller s ! “ ”
large packet in hi s hand .
’
NO dear pleaded Barbara

“ ” “
, ,
L et us go and s i t .
”
o n o n e o f those seats opposite while we eat the sweets .
“ ”
We can do that afterwards H e hesitated ; but .
Barbara was already making her way across the road .
It was very pleasant under the high trees though ,
there was a slight mist and no stars They s at o n .

until Br o oke shivered in spite o f hi s overcoat and then ,
Barbara j umped up with a self reproach ful -
“
Oh Julian ! I forgot you are an invalid How
, .
”
sel fi sh I am ! Y o u are getting cold here .
Nonsense ! I m perfectly all right Do s t ay It

“ ’
. .
”
i s all your fancy he pleaded , .
But sh e was not to be persuaded and he had at last ,
to walk with her past the narrow garden to the board

ing house
-
.
”
To morrow a t the same t ime th en ? he said as
-
, ,
they parted .
“ ”
Yes She paused o n the bottom s t ep
. Yo u .
”
know t o morrow s the last day ?
-
’
“
Know ! I should think I do Well one blessing.
, ,
”
thi s sort o f thing will soon be ended .
“ ”
G ood night ! She was o n the top o f the steps
-
now .
“ ”
G ood night ! he answered bu t in spite o f feeling
-
,
cold he remained s tanding there a long time after

wards ; he seemed as i f he could not t ear himself away
from the house tha t sh e ltered her .
She stared before her again She felt she could not .
tell him yet and yet S h e must , When that soldier .
had crossed the road she would tell him No when .

,
that woman had t urned the corner N ow ! .
She gave a little gasp catching her brea th : I came ,
to Cheltenham to tell you I couldn t marry yo u I ’

.
thought I might hur t yo u less than by writing and —
”
I ve only hurt yo u more
’
.
“
Barbara ! You re a bit over wrought and h yste ri
’
-
”
cal dear You don t mean it You can t mean it
, .
’
.
’
he said .G ood G od ! Th e way you looked when I

met you o n the Promenade under these trees— and yes
t e r d ay in that empty house You re in love with me ’
. .
Whatever you s ay I know you love me as I love you

, .
I could feel it when I held yo u in my arms Yo u can t .

’
make me believe you don t love me ’

.
“ ”
I m no t trying t o Julian sh e said sadly and her
’
, , ,
very quietness only alarmed him the more .
“
But i f you do care for me w hat in the world i s all —
”
thi s about ? he exclaimed You can t mean to say .
’
y o u let
'
me kiss you as I did all the time knowing you ,
were going to turn me down ? Th e thing s i n ’
”
credible !
“
I did very wrong She wai ted biting her lip
.
, .
I couldn t help it Julian I couldn t send you

’ ’
I —
, .
away from me all at once as I meant to It all seemed .
s o sunny and lovely here that first a fternoon and you ,
”
with me A tear rolled down her cheek and sh e fel t
.
a salt t aste on her lips but sh e did not w ipe it away ,

.
“
I couldn t bear to spoil it all I felt as i f I mus t
’
.
have a bit o f good time i f I died for it afterwards I t .
would have to last She broke o ff fi gh t ing do wn ,
her emo t ion .

TH E R ETU R N 26 9
He looked at her and took her hand again .
“ ”
Poor little girl ! Dear little girl ! he murmured ,
moving close to her o n the seat and disregarding the

“
supercilious glance o f a passer by Wha t maggot -
.
”
has she got in her brain now ? Come o u t with it ! ,
She shook her head and said w ith a sort o f dull

obs t inacy clinging to o n e phrase like a S hipwrecked
,
“
voyager in a stormy se a : I can t marry you I came ’
.
because I thought it would be co w ardly to write I .
thought it would hurt you less i f I told you by word o f

”
mouth I m sorry I did now
.
’
.
“
But this i s stark nonsense he protested Yo u , .
admi t you love me and yet yo u go o n like this You .
won t even give me your reason fo r n o t w anting to

’
marry me I have a righ t to know that at least

.
,
.
Can t yo u realise that you are behaving towards me

’
”
wi th the grossest un fairness ?
“
Yes Julian ; I know all that she said in a low
, , ,
hopeless voice tha t disarmed him again .
”
Come Barbara dearest tell me ! he urged looking
, , ,
into her face She was conscious o f his arden t gaze

.
burning through hi s drooped eyelids and her whole

being yearned towards him but in proportion as i t ,
hurt She felt j ustified in w hat sh e was doing ; the very

agony made her feel she mus t be right .
“
Don t urge me any more Julian she said fain tly
’
, , ,
“
white to the lips I can t endure any more
.
’
.
And i t was so wrung o u t o f her like the cry o f a ,
martyr o n the rack that Brooke could not persist ; he

,
was bo und to pity her despite his sense of thwarted be

wilderment .
They s at a moment or two in silence yellow leaves ,
like flakes o f gold floating down upon them through

the misty sunshiny air and in the silence a sudden

,
—
recollection o f their o d d dream came to Brooke He .
pushed the thought back knowing that a coincidence ,
had made it come true and yet it had come true —

.
Irrationally he was all at once weighed down by

,
Barbara s hopelessness ; the blank sense o f utter loss he

’
had felt in the dream returned upon him n o w He .
wondered i f sh e remembered but sh e did not a t that ,
time because all her powers were concen t rated in

,
bearing an agony which s h e knew a word would free

her from at once .
“
I d better be going in n ow ; I have to pack sh e
’
said ri sing rather unsteadily

, .
He rose too and put hi s hand through her arm

, , .
“ ”
Your packing won t take five minutes he said ’
, .
I am determined to t alk thi s o u t wi th you Barbara , .
”
Y o u won t get away from me like this
’
.
She s at down again seemin g glad t o be spared the ,
e ffort o f standing .
“
Very well You have a right to that Julian
.
, .
He looked do w n at her maddened by the resist ance ,
o f a thing s o frail that he could not bend ; then he flung
himself upon the seat w ith his right arm abou t her ,
pressing her to him An elderly gentleman scowled .
round outraged but he did not care i f all the world

, ,
looked o n and frowned .
“ ” “
Barbara ! he whispered fiercely I m going to .
’
marry yo u be fore you leave thi s place D O you hear ? .
I m going to marry yo u before you go home Y o u

’
.
can stay o n a few days and I ll get a special licen se ’
and we ll be married Then we ll talk we ll talk all

’
.
’
—
’
yo u like But I m going to make sure o f you fi rst

’
.
.
A S he felt her body relax and press against his arm ,

agony shining through i t was a sort o f exaltation

, ,
which alone kep t her from going under All through .
the in tolerable j ourney her thoughts were dulled and

indefinite save for the stabs of agony whi ch came
,
e very time that Brook s last words repeated them

’
selves i h her mind Th e recollection o f their love

.
making among the golden leaves and the sunshine was

spoilt by the S harp pain which must now always go
with i t She endured that last pain o f love whi ch
.
comes when love s memories are spoilt

’
.
As S he sat in a middle seat crushed against a fat ,
woman o n the one side and a restless child o n the other ,
S he experienced the blank despair o f youth which sees

no opening in the darkness She did indeed envy the
.
, ,
wi fe whom Brooke had married and buried for that ,
girl had only died and he could still think well o f her .
At last sh e alighted cramped and weary at the

, ,
arched station which had as yet been the bou me o f all

her j ourneyings ; and the F l o d mou th noises again ac
companied her thoughts unnoticed as they had always
done accentuating by their very familiarity the strange
,
misery in which sh e came home N ow She knew that .
when sh e went to Cheltenham S he had been compara

t i ve l y speaking happy ; there was still a ho pe a t the
,
bottom o f all her resolves tha t something would hap

pen to prevent the sacri fi ce This hope lives unde .
t e c t e d in the heart o f every human being who o ff ers

up some thing almos t beyond thei r power and Barbara ,
had been inspired by i t during those firs t two days a t

Cheltenham .
Now the incredible had happened after all and sh e ,
was stunned for the time being by the magnitude o f

her lo ss the time was yet to come when the recur
—
TH E R ETU R N 2 73
ring stabs o f pain would be a constant agony H e r .
look w as such that M rs Simpson s heart failed when .

’
s h e saw her daughter : fears sprang bri stling to the
sur face . What had that man done to her girl ?

“
But sh e said quietly enough : Y o u look tired Bar ,
”
bara Come and have some tea at once l
.
“ ”
Father in yet ? said Barbara forcing hersel f t o ,
respond .
NO he will be in directly
“
.
Then E lsie came into the room with the tea pot and -
they sat down by the table To Barbara the very .
sameness o f it all after what sh e had passed through

made it seem strange .
“
I see you have been taking some O f the pictures
”
down sh e said
, .
“
Yes ; haven t you heard ? You do look a worm
’
,
Barbara Cheltenham hasn t done yo u much good I

,
’
.
”
thought Mo ther had written to tell yo u said E lsie ,
excitedly .
Barbara turned t o her mother with a listlessnes s

tha t M rs Simpson noted with a pang o f apprehensi on
. .
“ ”
What i s it Mother ? ,
We are leaving thi s house said Mrs S impson ,

. .
”
I did write but the letter must have missed you
, .
“ ”
L eaving ? A t once said Barbara stirred o u t o f
?
,
her sel f engrossment

— .
“
Yes ; we have an o ff er to su b let it i f we can be o u t -
in a for tnight Some man o n o n e o f the Go vernmen t

.
j obs wants to take it Your Father thinks as I do .

,
that we ought to close with the o ff er and go into a

much smaller house at once sai d Mrs Simpson ,
. .
“ ”
Don t you agree
’
?
Oh yes L ess coals and everyt hing will be needed

.
”
in a little house said Barbara , .
“ ” “
G oodness ! cried E lsie Y o u t alk about leaving .
this dear o l d house where we all grew up as i f i t

were buying a new dish clo th ! Aren t you s orry t o -
’
”
go ?
“
I m very sorry said Barbara duly
’
Have you
, .
”
heard o f another house tha t will do Mother ? ,
There i s o n e o f those little new houses in Thornley

S treet t o let ; sitting room kitchen three bedrooms -
, ,
”
a n d bathroom All we need . .
”
Oh yes Barbara roused hersel f
. I though t .
”
t hem very nice little houses .
“
I rather wish there wasn t a piano on one side and ’
a baby o n the other and about ten little boys always

” “
p laying and yelling outside said E lsie But that s ’
.
,
”
a detail .
“
Oh we Shall get used t o i t ; and you were a crying
,
b aby yoursel f once smiled M r s Simpson , . .
Then M r Simpson s key sounded in the lock and

.
’
B arbara ran o u t to greet her father .
“ ”
Well ! Well ! he said What news from the .
s eat o f war eh ? Wounded warrior ‘going on all

,
”
right ?
Barbara felt all the blood rushing to her face then ,
i t receded leaving her very pale

, .
“
H e seems well in himsel f but his arm remains ,
”
tiresome They are going to give him hi s discharge
.
,
s h e said .
“
That s bad luck about the arm I mean said M r
’
— .
, ,
Simpson gravely What will he do for a living ?

“
Oh he i s go i ng back to his fruit farm in Canada ,
,
s aid Barbara si t ting down to the table again

, .
of hi s figure showing plainly e ven at a di stance I .
”
can t help what he thinks sh e added pressing her
’
, ,
fi nger o n her lip to s t op its trembling .
“
Well I can t say I m sorry so far as you are c o n
,
’ ’
“
cerned said M r Simpson cheerfully
, I suppose. .
girls do get these infatuations fo r soldiers an d I can ,

‘
understand it right enough Sort o f G ive the boys .
a good time feeling ; knowing how plucky they are

’
.
B essay I should have been the same mysel f i f I d bee n

’
a girl .
“ ”
And I hope you wouldn t ! cried E lsie indignan tly ’
.
“
I m ashamed o f yo u Father ; as i f th a t were all our
’
,
brave soldiers were good for ! And I call i t mos t

aw fully mean O f Barbara i f sh e has turned do wn
Brooke j ust because o f hi s bad arm a fter going o n ,
”
w ith him all this time .
“ ”
E lsie ! said M rs Simpson with gentle vehemence ; .
you mus t not talk like that Y o u know nothing at .

-
all about it I am perfectly certain that Barbara has

.
some o ther and good reason for acting as sh e has

’
d o ne f
M r Simpson flushed purple and blurted o u t
.
“
Surely the chap behaved properly ? H e— h e didn t ’
try to take any advantage o f your being there by your

”
sel f ? I said you never ought to have gone .
”
Father ! How can you say such a wicked thing ?
“
cried Barbara s t ar ting up ; you who know Julian !
,
—
And sh e wep t hiding her face in her hands , He s .

’
” “
s o good sh e sobbed He s as honourable as you ’
.
,
are Dad I — I can t bear yo u t o say such things

, .
’
.
M r Simpson came nearer and pa tt ed her S houlder

. .
“
There there my girl ! he sai d uncomfor tably 1
,
”
, .
TH E R ETU RN 2 77
I never meant to be unkind ; only yo u must have had

”
some reason you know , .
“
It had nothing to do w ith Julian ; nothing a t all .
I can t bear for you to think ill o f him I m th e o n e

’
.
’
who did it all He was in a terrible way when I told

.
him .
“
Well w ell ; a girl can t al w ays know her own
,
’
” “
mind consoled Mr Simpson
,
Don t you fash your . .
’
self too much Barbara I ve no doubt he ll find an , .

’ ’
o ther girl before long and cheer up all right .
“ ”
Funny thing about Barbara said E lsie Sh e , ,
thinks sh e wants them until sh e gets them and then

s h e doesn t want them any more ; bu t when it s a
’ ’
wounded soldier I think sh e ought to settle up w ith ,
hersel f be fore it comes to that pass .
“ ”
Oh ! Barbara suddenly began to s ob hysterically ,
worn o u t with S leeplessness fatigue and emotion , , .
“
Oh I did it fo r the best and n o w you all turn round
, ,
o n me I never thought you would treat me like thi s

. .
So saying s h e pushed back her chair and hurried a w ay

from the room calling over her shoulder : Nob ody ,
“
need come up I don t wan t anybody I only want .

’
.
to be left alone !
Th e three left behind stared blankly at each other .
E lsie was the first to speak glancing at her M other s ,

’
” “
stunned face Don t look like that Mother sh e
.
’
, ,
said . Barbara will get over it O h dear ! I hate .

,
all thi s fuss about young men I wi sh to goodness .
She would get married and have done with it .
Mrs Simpson forced hersel f to smile and said al

.
most easily
“
I dare say it i s only a lovers quarrel O r sh e may ’
.
fi nd that she cannot care for him after all Y ou see .

they really knew very little indeed o f o n e ano ther .
M r Simpson frowned uneasily

. .
“
We ought not to have let her go to Cheltenham
alone t o mee t t he fellow I t was a wrong thing to do . .
I think yo u ough t to pop upstairs Harrie t and s ee , ,

”
what sh e has to say about it .
But M rs S impson loved Barbara enough to leave

.
her alone though every fibre o f her mother s hear t was

,
’
being drawn with a sort o f agony towards the bedroom

upstairs She even managed to distract M r Simp
. .
son s a ttention to the new house and the discussion o f

’
those larger articles o f furniture which they would

be obliged to part with un t il a t las t it was time for
,
E lsie t o go to bed .
E lsie wen t in t o the bedroom and saw Barbara still

d ressed upon the bed with her face towards the wall .
She stood in the middle o f th e r oo mhesitating fo r a

momen t and then said so ftly
,
“ ”
Asleep Barbara ,
?
No My head s bad
.
’
.
”
Shall I ge t you something fo r i t ?
No thank you
,
”
.
Silence again while E lsie went about her undress

,
ing ; then Barbara fel t a S hawl gently lai d over her and
moved impatiently
“
Don t worry me E lsie I t s very good o f you ;
’
, .
’
but I only want to be quiet .
All the same the dull absorption o f her gri e f was

disturbed and she soon rose and began to undress also .
Th e Fl o dmo u th noises came in through the slightly

open window Th e sharp O O h ! o f the engine at
.
-
the end o f the street went through her head and that ,
pang o f t enderness and pity as S h e saw the little vi brat

ing fragile figure drawn up so gallantly in the childish
,
whi t e nigh t dress -

.
“
E lsie you re no t going t o communica t e your ideas
,
’
”
to Fa ther and Mother I hope ? She said quickly , .
Then as her sis t er did not r eply : E lsie ! You must

,
”
not do that you know
1 , .
Then it i s so l cried E lsie

”
You w ouldn t mind .
’
me telling i f it were not true Well I s h al l tell them .

, .
I m not going to have you Spoil your li fe and Brooke s

’ ’
for nothing like a silly girl in a story book I hate all -

.
these misunderstandings that needn t happen a t all i f ’
”
people had any common sense .
“
But E lsie ,
“
I t s n o good saying anything Barbara I m j ust
’
, .
’
not going to have you o ffering your s el f up like a sort o f

burnt sac r i fic e to look a fter us I Shall tell Mo ther
-
.
,
”
an d SO there !
B arbara s at down pressing h er hand to her aching ,
head There was no help fo r it ; the thing mus t be

.
talked o u t now .
“
L ook here E lsie sh e said , You remember how , .
seedy Mother was when we got home from Scarcli ffe

“
Yes ; bu t it was no t your faul t sh e couldn t get a ’
”
charwoman while we were away .
“
That s neither here nor there Th e thing i s tha t
’
.
I saw the doctor one d ay and he told me Mother might

live o n e year and she migh t live twenty i t i t de —
pended upon us .
“ ”
Oh ! E lsie gave a little cry ; then she said in a low
tone : I se e how hard that makes it I f you had .
been marrying any o n e in E ngland i t would not have

”
mattered so much Can t Brooke s tay in E ngland ? .
’
TH E R ETU R N 281
He could ; but as a broken man with all he has

worked fo r o u t there sacrificed I daren t let him run .
’
the risk with hi s temperament Fancy i f I had to

, .
watch him gett ing all spoilt and di ff erent through me .
That would be worse than giving him up E lsie ”

, .
“ ”
Yes . E lsie stood brooding a strangely o l d look ,
“
o n her face Yes ; you ve got to take i t all in a
’
-
.
Then s h e hid her face and began to cry

”
piece.
“ ”
quietly : Poor o l d Barbie ! Poor o l d Barbie !
“ ”
Don t E l s ie ! I can t bear it said Barbara sharp
’
,
’
l y and E lsie choked and swallowed and managed to

,
control hersel f .
“
I promise not to tell i f that s any comfort to yo u
,
’
,
“
s h e said .On my honour I promise not to , .
“
Tha nk you E lsie : and now we ll never talk o f thi s
’
,
”
subject any more said Barbara wearily , Try and .
”
get to sleep Y o u must be tired
. .
E lsie t urned the light out and said with a piti ful ,
“
stru ggle to do what Barbara would like : I t s a fi ne ’
night Barbi e ; the stars are shining There s a cab

, .
’
j ust driven away from M rs B el l e rby s house : I think .

’
s h e has come home from seeing Blanch e Isn t it sad ’

.
”
about Hugh E lliott having fallen ?
“
Poor B l anche ! G ood night E lsie ! -
,
Then there was quiet in the room but for the sounds
coming in through the open window Barbara heard .
them now beating through her aching head ; and

,
beneath them her soul listened to that other chorus

d eepening and gathering stren gth with every moment
o f the day and night millions chanting the Song
o f S acrifice .
What did her lot o f sorrow and sacrifice ma tter in

the face o f all that ? She fel t it was nothing She .
wa s carried along by that mighty chorus to which her

soul listened Though sh e lay still o n her b ed sh e was
.
,
following the great company o f those who have so

gloried in the beauty o f sacrifice tha t they s aw in it
n o t a means bu t an end . All these months her r e
s p o n s i ve ardent mind had been tending towards that
condition and now she experienced the result

, .
In the absorption o f her o wn feelings however she

, ,
failed to weigh j ustly th e wrong sh e was doing Brooke ,
because in her present state o f mind sh e felt that a

sacrifice which hurt s o terribly must be the right o ne .
She knew that it would have hurt her comparatively

little to turn her back o n those who have cared for
her all her li fe and to go o u t into a strange country
w ith a man sh e had known a few months . And
s o S he argu ed that her di fficult course must be the best .
But every time sh e closed her eyes She could s e e the

w ide road at Cheltenham with Brooke s ale ft fi gure
’
disappearing in t o a ha z y sunshiny distance ; and there

,
was always a touch o f loneliness and forlornness abou t

the vanishing fi gur e .
Barbara you don t regre t — You re no t fretting ’

? ’
”
a fter that man ?
“ ”
Do I look a s i f I were fretting ? said Barbara ,
continuing to sort recipes .
“
N M r s Simpson paused But you wouldn t ’
. .
,
you know She paused again . Why did yo u go to .
Cheltenham i f you did no t care for him ? I must have

some explanation o f that dear Y ou o we i t to both , .
your Father and me .
“ ”
Very well Barbara threw a bundle o f papers
.
“
into the basket I went because I thought it seemed
.
cowardly to break O ff my engagement by le tter A t .
”
least that was the reason I thought I had She added
, ,
in a l o w voice anxious t o S peak the exac t t ru th to her

,
mo ther .
“
You wan t ed t o s ee him ? Tha t was the real fac t
”
o f the mat t er pursued M rs Simpson , . .
“ ”
Partly Oh I suppose s o
.
, .
Y o u are a queer girl Barbara You were very , .
fond o f Frank G arret until he proposed and then you ,
had no further use for him Now it seems to be the .
same with Brooke Y o u must be careful tha t you .
don t throw too many chances o f happiness away

’
.
Ther e comes a time when a girl does no t find any

”
more .
“
I don t want any more Mother ; no t o f t hat kind
’
, ,
“
said Barbara rising It s t ime I put the pan o n for .
’
”
dinner She went acros s the room and paused at
.
“
the door I d rather not talk about this i f you don t
.
’ ’
mind After all what goes on between a girl and a

.
,
man i s thei r business ; neither side has any right to

giv e i t away I t s — i t s a bout the o ne thing that you
.
’ ’
CH ANGE 2 85
ought to keep to yoursel f I m not going to say any .

’
”
more about it Mother , .
M r s Simpson bent her head over her recipes and

.
said nothing ; but something i n her pose both angered

and touched Barbara to the heart There was a mo .
ment s silence ; the Du Caines went past h e war

’
—
worn and thin but cheery and she in a new cheap

, ,
hat radiant wi t h happiness They were living in that

, .
short ten days leave with death behind and death

-
’
waiting a year s j oy pressed t ogether and sharpened to

,
’
something not abnormal but most clearly finely ad

— —
,
venturous Barbara was stirred to a high emotion as

.
s h e s aw them go swinging by they were not j ust

the Du Caines with him o n leave but the whole glory ,
and horror and sacrifice o f the great crusade fo r free

dom She turned to her moth er with eyes a shine and
.
-
face palely smiling

“
G oo d ness don t let s worry any more about me
,
’ ’
and my petty little love a ff airs And her t one t ri u m

-
“ ”
h n tl
y added : What do they matter
a ?
p
But in her secret heart sh e was unconsciously awar e
that youth ful love must continue to matter while the
world lasted Ho w ever it might seem to be swamped
.
by th e dreadful turmoil it would spring up again ,
unaltered like corn o n a deserted battle fiel d : i t was -
equally o f the substance o f human life .
Thi s however was what sh e fel t ; what sh e though t

, ,
j ust then was quite di ff erent And sh e went ou t into .
the kitchen with a belie f that she did indeed consider , ,

“ ”
her bit o f happine s s an a ff air o f no great moment .
She had been pressed too clos e poo r Barbara t o — —
the W indows that death had opened upon the li fe o f the

world t o come M iddle age may look so close an d
.
bear it but ardent sensitive youth i s o ften impe lled

,
either to snatch with desperate fingers every pleasure

obtainable because li fe i s s o shor t o r t o become like ,
Barbara .
A heavy fog hun g over F l o dmou th and Barbara ,
stood a t the gate watching a removal van go down the

Avenue I t loomed oddly in the grey air gigan tic al
.
, ,
mo st threatening as i f it were taking away into

—
n othingness a great deal more than handsome sui t es
o f mahogany and rose wood furniture fo r sale

-
M rs . .
Bellerby cam e o u t o f the nex t gat e wi th a tray in her

hand s
“
I was j us t bringing thi s in Barbara she said I , , .
thought yo u might be in rather an upse t t o day and -

,
”
glad o f a cup o f tea all ready .
“ ”
How good o f you said Barbara touched almost
, ,
to hurting point by thi s little kindness as happens ,
when the hear t i s very full .
They went in together and s at down with Mrs Simp .
s o n and E lsie in a dismantled room through which
the cold winds o f strangeness seemed to be already

blowing i t was not home any longer But they j oked
—
.
cheerfully about the good tea and the little hot cakes
that were not at all like war t ime and the spectacle o f
-
,
M r s Bellerby whom they had laughed at so o ften

.
—
Chasing her di ffi cult was somehow intimately

dear to them She was curled fringe refinement
.
—
,
and all a par t o f that li fe in the Avenue which had

—
been o n the whole so happy She was like the broken.
pump a t the end o f the village when you are saying

good bye -
.
Th e a t titude o f mind o f the Simpsons p e ne t rated

am very fortunate to have two such success ful d au gh

ters N ot that poor Blanche
. Only o f course , ,
s h e i s young yet Did I tell you that H ugh made the

.
mos t wonderful will ? E verything left absolutely ; no t

a word about marrying again He was a noble char .
”
acter .
Then E lsie spoke— she could hold herself in no

longe r
“
H e is she cried Y ou don t think he s stopp e d
, .
’ ’
b e i ng because he has died fo r hi s country ? He s as

’
much alive now as yo u o r me M ore ; becau se he .
hasn t to bother about a t iresome o l d bod y And he s

’
.
’
going o n being splendid all the time Can t you feel .

’
that
“
Yes o f course said M rs Bellerby uncom fortably
, , . .
”
E lsie don t be so vehement said Mrs Simpson
’
, , . .
“
Poor o l d E lsie sh e doesn t mean to be rude sh e
,
’
o nly talks in italics because she s so horribly in ear

’
~
”
nest said Barbara smiling at her sister
, , .
“ ”
Well I think I mus t be going said Mrs Bellerby
, , . .
Then sh e added to round o ff her departure : “

You
kno w Mi ss Pelling returns t o nigh t ? She mus t have
,
-
”
been away some weeks .
“
Yes We shall be delighted to see her back said
.
,
'
M rs Simpson. .
“
Oh ! we all shall said Mrs Bellerby , . .
And they accompanied her to the door Barbara ,
carrying the tray down the path and listening t o a de

t ailed account o f the fur coat whi t h Mrs E lliott had .
given Blanche .
When Mr Simpson came home from business he

.
also fel t a cold W i nd O f s trangen ess blo wi ng through

CHANGE 2 89
m
the house which he had prepared for hi s bri de such —
a war and sa fe nest i n the spring time o f his man

— -
hood H e did not give himsel f up t o sentimental r e

.
fl ec t i o n s o f this sort and was indeed unconsci ous o f

, , ,
having them at all ; but they took the form of an at

tack o f indigestion and extreme i rritability abou t the
drainage system o f the new house It seems queer .
that such beauti ful an d deep feelings as a man s love ’
o f the home he made fo r the wi fe o f hi s youth should
express themselves in such a way but they did ; and ,
hi s strictures fell as a last straw on the shoulders o f

hi s j aded family It was E lsie as usual who fel t
.
, ,
bound to become articulate .
“
R eally Father we can t help having t o move into a
’
, ,
”
little house It i s j ust as horrid for us as for you
. .
But there sh e spoke falsely ; because M r Simpson .
su ff ered in spite o f reason from the middle class

, ,
-
man s feeling that hi s females ought to have been

’
guarded by him against such discom forts and hard

ships He was enveloped that evening in a fo g o f
.
failure through which he was unable to see clearly .
A fter a while the evening post came and he wen t ,
heavily to take in the letters .
“
One from your Aunt Horace he said opening , ,
“
the envelope without any in t erest What does she .
want ? She s got all her money sa fe enough She s

’
.
’
”
all righ t He read listlessly than his expression ,
“
changed and he looked excited : I say Harriet ! ,
Whatever do you think ? Wonders 11 never cease ’

.
S h e sh e actually offers to send E lsie to a good school

—
in Scotland where special attention i s given to the girls ’
”
health and a fterwards to stand expen ses a t College
, .
M r s Simpson sat down

. .
G oodness ! You take my brea th away Sam What , .
”
can have induced her to do it ?
“
Seems sh e has come across somebody from Flod
mouth at her boarding house in Bath and has heard
-
we are obliged to leave this house I think sh e really .
was fond o f Horace in her way though she was spoilt ,
with having a large independent income o f her o wn

and always doing j us t as S he liked Anyway there it .
,
”
is. He turned chuckling to E lsie : That s a bit o f
“ ’
all right eh ? I shall have to buy you a pair o f blue

,
stockings I s aw hanging in a Shop window to day - -

,
”
eh ? And he rubbed hi s hands and chuckled again ,
s o glad t o have something to feel j olly abou t once
more tha t the rest o f hi s t roubles seemed fo r the mo

ment not to matter .
“ ”
I say E lsi e how glorious ! said Barbara flush e d
,
—
,
“ ”
and smiling . M other aren t you delighted ?
,
’
Yes dear was all Mrs Simpson could s ay s o

, , .
,
ardently was sh e thanking G od : though a t the same

time sh e saw a V is ta o f years during which her girl
must go farther and farther away from her ; and yet
s h e continued to gi ve thanks because i t was the ful
fil men t o f E lsie s dream

’
.
E lsie hersel f sat quite still twisting her thin fi ngers ;

,
“
t hen she burst out : Oh M o ther ! Oh Father ! I ll
, ,
’
never hate anybody again .
They laughed relieved to have some excuse for loos

,
ing the tension .
”
What makes you say tha t ? asked Barbara .
Well to think how I have detested O ld Aun t

,
H orace and then she comes down like this and gives
,
me the one thing I want most in li fe Oh ! fancy me .
a t a good s c hool where I can learn ev e ry thing and ge t

she knew or kne w o f wh o had fallen since the call to

, , ,
sacrifice un w ittingly gre w clearer and clearer N ow .

,
when the door bell rang and sh e had to speak t o

-
some o n e at the door it W as as i f sh e really rose from,
her knees be fore an altar o f the spiri t having found ,
peace .
M r Binny s housekeeper s t ood o n the step long

.
’
,
faced and stolid .
“
M r Binny s compliments and he would be obliged
.
’
i f M r Simpson could step across for a few minutes on

.
”
a matter o f business And sh e retired at once wi th
.
o u t waiting for an answer .
”
Fath er ! called Barbara from the passage Mr . .
Binny wants to see you o n business .
“
Oh ! I wonder i f he s going to take Dad into ’
”
partnership said E lsie having swung round to the
, ,
“
point where only good seemed probable I Shouldn t .
’
”
wonder a bit i f tha t i s it .
“ ”
Rubbi sh ! said Mr Simpson taking his cap from .
,
the rack .
He walked across the road and up the little path to

Mr Binny s house where the door opened at once by
.
’
,
no vi sible agency It closed and M r Binny stood

.
, .
wi th M r Simpson in the dimly lighted passage There

. .
was an a tmosphere o f restrained emotion about M r .
Binny which any woman w ould have fel t a t once but ,
M r Simpson was masculinely impervious to i t as he

.
put down hi s cap o n the hall table .
Well what i s it Binny ? Torn up your sugar card

, ,
-
by accident and want me to save you from being

”
dragged in chains be fore the L ord Mayor ; eh ?
“ ”
M r Binny frowned
. Simpson he said rather .
,
CH ANGE 2 93
severely will you please walk into the fron t room ?

,
H e shut the door and in the full light it could be seen

,
that he was even more excited than his voice indicated ;

hi s forehead was mottled in red patches and he was
without a tie Five o f these ornaments of attire how
.
,
ever lay on the table beside a basket o f brussels sprouts

,
and a bundle o f leeks H e grasped hi s mottled fore

.
head with a hand s o scrupulously washed after gar

dening operations that the very skin seemed to be worn
“
thin and said despe rately : You ll excuse me Simp
,
’
,
s o n fo r sending in t o you when yo u are no doubt e n

,
gaged in packing up but I have looked at these ties

,
until the colours all run toge ther I am unable to .
exercise a calm judgment .
M r Simpson stared naturally It seemed very

'
—
. .
o dd tha t M r Binny should have sent a formal mes sage

.
by the housekeeper in order to consult him about ties .
Still he was a good natured man and ready t o do hi s

,
-
best s o he stood by his friend s side and examined the

,
’
five neutral tinted pieces o f silk with attention

-
.
“
Bles t i f I can s e e any di fference by thi s light he ,
said at last Then the oddness o f it all again over

.
w helmed him and he cocked up hi s eye anxiously at

hi s long lank friend : surely the pressure o f work and
,
war wasn t ’
H e broke o ff even in hi s thoughts ; ,
and concluded : What are yo u driving at Binny ? ,

”
What the dickens does it matter ?
“
E verything matters i n i n a ff airs o f this sort —
,
“
said M r Binny rubbing his chin nervously
.
,
A deli .
cate female ta ste i s so sensitive to these t ri fle s .
Then M r Simpson began to see dayligh t

. He .
looked from the ties to the brussels sprouts and from ,
the brussels sprouts t o the leeks wi th a coun tenanc e ,

growing more and more illumined But he was still .
far from reali sing the seriousness o f the situation .
“ ”
Shut your eyes and take the first tie that comes he ,
“
said . You ll be j ust as welcome to M iss Pelling in
’
any ti e— S O long as you take the leeks with you Ho ! .
”
Ho ! And he chuckled in what M r Binny despite .
,
o l d friendship felt to be a v e ry vulgar and i rritating

,
manner .
“
Thi s i s serious Simpson he said ; then a f ter a
, ,
“
pause he added with an e ff or t : Have you seen her
”
since sh e came back ?
“
Who ? Miss Pelling ? No said M r Simpso n , .
.
M r Binny moved nearer though the room was so

.
,
small and the door S hut fast and he dropped hi s voice : ,
Then the ingraine d

“ ”
She looks beauti ful Simpson ! ,
t ruthfulness o f a li fetime forced him to spoil the e ffect

“
by adding : A t least as near beauti ful as makes n o ,
”
matt er .
“ ”
Wh a t ! said poor M r Simpson again beginning .
,
t o have grave fears o f hi s friend s men tal balance ’

.
“ ”
Oh you re j oking Binny !
,
’
,
“ ”
D o I l oo k as i f I w ere j oking ? said M r Binny .
,
with such unconsci ous pathos that Mr Simpson averted .
hi s eyes from his friend s mottled countenance and ’
muttered ha s tily
“
NO doub t her long absence you must have
missed her I can quite unders tand
.
“
No you can t said M r Binny surprisingly
,
” ’
,
N0 . .
,
o n e ever could who hadn t actually seen her I ’

.
,
chanced to be at the station when she arrived and

and I don t mind telling you Simpson though I
—
’
, ,
wouldn t breathe it to any o ne else in the world— I hid

’
”
be hind a luggage barrow .
”
Mus t be ! said M r Simpson thinking deeply .I , .
think I can give you a clue : L illie .
“
L illie ! Why sh e i s married and doesn t live in
,
’
L ondon any more so far as I know said M r Binny

”
, , . .
“
NO bu t sh e was employed as housekeeper with a
,
”
woman who kept o n e o f those beauty shops said M r , .
“
S impson And sh e was very grat eful to Miss Pell
.
i ng . She would no doubt urge th e poor lady t o go

t ha t t ime when she fetched li t tle Ki t chener away Im ’
.
t old t hey can do anything nearly at these places .
“ ”
Where did you hear it Simpson ? asked M r Binny , .
e agerly .
“
Well M r Simpson betrayed reluctan ce the fac t
, .
,
i s I some t imes j ust glance through the ladies papers

’
.
,
I once chanced to s ee in the adver t isements that these

beauty specialists can remove little red veins and
all sorts o f things No t that I ever took much .
”
n otice .
“
O f course n o t Well I suppose that must be it .
, ,
“
said M r Binny dolorously. In any case I ought to
have proposed to her before sh e had it done I really .
wen t to the station with that obj ect in view but sh e ,

”
would never be lieve me I can t expect her to He .
’
.
“
sank into a seat and held hi s head again I Shall die .
a lonely old man w ith nobody to look a fter me in my

declining years And I s hall deserve it I shall de
. .
serve i t Then he jumped up again and began fin ge r

.
“
ing the ties : I think thi s i s th e most refined I .
shouldn t care to go in anything flashy o n such an o c

’
“
casion you know
, .
“ ”
G rea t Scott man ! said Mr Simpson rousing
,
.
,
“
himsel f to heart en the despondent lover You could .
CH ANGE 2 97
go to a funeral in any o f them But you re not i n .

’
”
ten ding to visit Mi ss Pelling to night are you ? -
,
M r Binny s look changed With a sort o f sly

.
’
.
S hame face d n e ss he tapped M r Simpson s sleeve and

-
.
’
,
“
said : I don t want her to know I saw her at the sta
’
tion Do you take me ? I I intend to propose in

.
—
the dark passage She ll think I ve not seen her My

.
’ ’
.
ex cu s e fo r unceremonious entrance w ill be to put do w n

the baskets o f vegetables which I could no t give into
”
her hands both a t onc e .
“ ”
But i f the maid comes t o the door suggested Mr
? .
Simpson .
F o r a moment M r Binn y felt that anger against Mr

. .
Simpson which we all feel when a friend sees a fault

i n a well thought out scheme ; then he remembered
- -
that Miss Pelling w as servantless .
“
R eally Simpson I should have thought yo u knew
, ,
”
s h e had no servant now said M r Binny cheering , .
,
up ; but i mmediately he added down in the depths ,
again : She won t have me She ll naturally think

’
.
’
”
I might have done it before o r not at all H e paused .
“
again and sa id meditatively : I don t wan t t o blame ’
circumstances but I should have married when I was

,
twenty five i f it hadn t been for my mother and sisters

—
’
.
Only I was like a good many young men o f that age ,
and had to control my feelings So I suppose they got .
S O used to being controlled that they wouldn t run

’
away with me w hen I wanted them to .
M r Simp s on hesitated and cleared hi s throat : it

.
was not easy for him to round o ff w ith a platitude thi s

account o f Mr Binny s sacri fi ced youth But the plati
.
’
.
tude had to come .
“
Anyway yo u can always have the sa t isfaction o f
,
knowing you did your duty by your mother and sis

”
ters he said
, .
“
I suppose that i s some thing said Mr Binny a lit , .
tle wonderingly almost as i f quite unconsciously he

—
asked tha t question o f civilisation and the Go d W h o

made him a man ; then that issue faded again into the
dim recesses o f hi s mind and he return ed to the con
“ ”
crete : I feel convinced she will re fuse me !
“
She won t M r Simpson paused
’
. she won t ’
re fuse you i f sh e wan t s to marry you She ll never .

’
cut o ff her nose to spite her face .
He felt immediately that it was an i nd e licate form

o f S peech under the circumstances bu t all the same he ,
had borne involuntary witness to the fundamental co m

mon sense and generosity o f a woman he had never
much liked and that subtly pleased hi s inborn sense
,
o f j ustice S o he continued in a more vigorous man

.
“
ner : Take your vegetables and be o ff with you Fain t .
hear t never won f air lady Kiss her first and ask .
a fterwa rds
“
R eally began M r Binny but he subdued hi s
.
,
fi rst sense o f outrage in consideration o f h i s friend s ’
“
services and added in an anxious tone : S o thi s tie i s
,
really all right ? I think I ll take the sprouts in my’
right hand and the leeks in my left so that I may giv e

”
her the sprouts i f any Wha t do you think ?
,
M r Simpson did not say what he though t ; he mere

.
l y took hi s cap from the hall table and preced e d M r .
Binny to the gate .
Two hours lat er the Simpson family had re t ired to

bed with the exception o f the master o f the house
, ,
who w as going upstairs with a lighted candle when a ,

CHAP T E R ! I!
W H AT RE M AI NS
H E Simpsons had n o w settled in thei r new home ,
where the la r ge o i l painting o f G randmother

-
Simpson which they had not the heart to do away

—
wi th took up most o f the wall space side o f the room

- -
opposite the fire Indeed it was so close to the table

.
that G randmother Simpson at firs t appeared to be

loomin g tremendous over every meal demanding what ,
the o l d middle class a type which sh e in her cap and

- —
,
her gold chain and with h e r pl ai n ly indicated sense o f

,
dignity and duty so Obviously represented was com

,
—
ing t o ? M r Simpson s lurkin g sense o f blame and

.
’
responsibility for having allowed hi s family t o be

brought to thi s was increased and sharpened for a
,
time by hi s constant vision o f the redoubtable o l d lady

as he ate but after a while the keenness o f the impres
,
sion wore O ff and he began to remark h o w very snug

,
it all was which was literally t rue And they all four
, .
expressed the O pinion at various times that there was

, ,
something abou t the air O f Thornley Street not Ob

servable in the Avenue— which was equally true be ,
cause O f a tannery near at hand which brought across

the street bitteri sh leathery odours when the wind
,
was in the right direction Th e inhabitants of the.
neighbourhood further added tha t the smell was

300
WHAT R E MAI N S 36 1
healthy and productive o f length o f years which i s a ,
thing people with their pathetic loyalty to the spot o f

earth that gives them refuge will come to say o f al ,
most any place But when Mrs Simpson w ent o u t o f

. .
the front door o n e Saturday morning sh e was glad ,
to remember thi s cheering belie f o f her neighb ours for ,
the smell follo w ed her down the s t reet like some thing
alive and particularly unpleasant .
After a ride in the car and a short walk sh e came ,
to her old shopping district which was familiar to her

from long use ; and on entering a shop to buy a meat
pie sh e encountered M iss Pelling As the two ladies .
emerged together and stood talking o n the pavement

, ,
M rs Simpson really had some di ffi culty in restraining

.
her ga z e from resting too particularly o n M iss Pell

ing s face for the alteration in it was so obvious as to
’
,
be almost disconcerting at first They spoke o f M r . .
Binny and o f the approaching marriage bu t all the

, ,
t ime M rs Simpson could n o t help thinking h o w well

.
L illie had repaid Miss Pelling w ha t sh e owed o n the

score o f little Kitchener It gradually became appar .
ent to Mrs S impson as they talked that thi s baby

.
, , ,
who came s o O ddly and un w antedly into the Avenue ,
had made a tremendous di fference to the lives o f sev

eral people : and thus thinking she was sca rcely s u r
prised when M i ss Pelling began to speak o f the child .
“
I m going o u t to buy a Christmas presen t for little
’
Kitchener but h e s not going to be called that any more

,
’
“ ”
now o f course sh e said
, I have a letter in my bag
,
.
from Brooke wh o i s now at Scarcliff e again previous

, ,
to getting his discharge At least he has really got .

,
it but they are now obliged to remain three weeks

,
longer you know He wants t o send the child some

, .
thing and he thought it had better go through me

,
for fear L illie s husband might not care for any c On

,
’
”
n e c t i o n with the Brooke family .
“ ”
Quite right said M rs Simpson con fusedly no t
, .
,
“
thinking o f what S he said ; then she added : When
does Brooke leave Scarcli ffe
“ ”
On Monday said Miss Pelling , .
”
And will he be coming to s e e you ?
“ ”
Oh no he i s going to L iverpool said Miss Pelling
, , .
Then we may never see him again ? pursued M r s

”
.
S impson .
“
I dare s ay n o t answered Miss Pelling But I
, .
must be o ff now I have to get my wedding dress .

-
fit t e d dark grey you know

—
N o old ewe dressed
, .
”
lamb fashion fo r me ! She took a l e tter from her
“
bag . Y o u can look a t thi s and let me have it back
later i f you like
,
And she was away a fter a passing
.
car.
M rs Simpson stood alone o n the pavement with the

.
letter in her hand bumped and j ostled by passers by ,

—
for quite a long time At last sh e began to walk slo w .
l y towards the station where she took a ticket and ,
sent O ff two telegrams Then sh e got into the train .

,
and s at there w ith her e ye S c l o s ed and nervous flushes ‘
coming and going o n her pale face until she reached ,
Scarcli ffe .
It was already a little raw and cold when S he go t

o u t : the best o f the day over and a chill mist coming
up from se a She looked eagerly round the sta tion

.
with her heart beating in her throat in a way which

made her feel su ffocated ; but one by o n e all the p eo
ple and even the porters and stat ion master fi led out
,
-
,
and sh e was left alone She sat down o n a wooden .

meet him ; there i sn t but ’
one road t o his camp ,
they
said and moved S lowly away
, .
She turned from them and plodded o n her heart ,
thudding suff o catingly against her ribs ; but sh e did n o t

care She would probably miss the train but sh e did
.
,
not care about that now either She was going to see .
B rooke I f She died for it sh e was going to speak t

.
,
him .
Th e way led past houses until S h e came t o the b e

ginning o f the open country which looked i n exp re s ,
s i b l y dreary and forlo r n with the road deep in mud ,
and the trees and hedges silent and dim E very step .
was an e ffort but S h e would n o t o wn hersel f beaten

, .
A t last she saw Brooke s unmi stakable figure coming ’
swi ftly towards her and sh e sat down o n a stone heap

by the roadside because her knees would not support
her any longer He was hurrying by not noticing her
.
,
huddled figure in the waning light when she called ,
o u t to him and he stopped short .
”
Y ou here Mrs Simpson ?
, .
With an immense e ff ort sh e pulled hersel f t ogether

and wen t towards him Just so i f sh e could would .
, ,
s h e have risen from her dying be d t o fi gh t fo r her
daugh ter s happiness

’
.
“
Y o u go t my wire she said .
N0 They are sometimes rather slow now

. I .
must have left camp before it came he said staring a t , ,
her in bewilderment .
“
I asked you to meet me a t the station S he an ,
“
s we r e d ; I wanted to see yo u before yo u left this part
o f E ngland I though t yo u migh t be going o ff t o
.
”
Canada .
“ ”
Yes ? h e said .
And I had to see you first She moistened her .
dry lips w ith her tongue Barbara Bar .
bara She could not continue .
A fire leapt into his eyes .
“
H a s Barba r a sent you ? Does sh e want to w histle
me back again fo r a w hile ? Then I tell you I m no t ’
having any I v e had enough.

’
.
“
She doesn t know I didn t tell her I was coming
’
.
’
,
said M rs Simpson . Only only sh e i s so miserable

.
—
.
And the poor w oman began to c r y so ftly .
“
She should have thought o f that be fore said ,
“
B rooke grimly It s n o good Mrs S impson I f you
.
’
,
. .
knew exactly the w ay I have been treated you would

”
not expect it o f me .
”
Don t you kn ow W h y sh e did it ? said M rs Simp
’
.
s o n wiping her eyes

, .
“
N o doubt sh e thought it wasn t good enough when ’
”
it came to the point said Brooke She was like, .
plenty o f other girls ; she liked the fun but she didn t ’
like paying for it Well she s not going to get any

.
,
’
”
more fun o u t o f me .
M rs Si mpson shook her head smiling ; it c o m

.
,
forted her in some subtle way that sh e could still see

s o much further into her girl s thoughts than thi s man
’
whom Barbara loved better than hersel f .
“
She gave you up because o f me I am delicate as .
,
you kno w and we have moved into a smaller house

,
where we can keep no servant E lsie i s not strong .
either Poor Barbara felt sh e could not turn her

.
”
back on us .
“
She might have seen all that before Th e circum .
”
stances did not cha nge much a fter she knew me sai d ,
Brooke stubbornly .
N0
She ough t n o t to have gone so far and then
.
”
thrown yo u over Mrs Simpson paused and added . .
“
with a great e ffort suddenly weeping again : Oh sh e , ,
wanted you so she couldn t help i t and then sh e gave

,
’
—
you up for my sake How am I going to live and see .

,
her going about every day and feel it i s I who have ,
ruined her happiness ? I can t bear it I can t bear ’

.
’
it I have borne a lo t in my li fe bu t I can t bear

.
,
’
this .
Brooke was touched by her desperate sinceri ty in

spite o f himsel f .
“ ”
How do you know all thi s ? he said gravely Did .
”
Barbara tell you ?
“ ”
Tell me ! She looked at him almost triumphan tly
“
smiling through her tears As i f a mo ther needed .
”
t el l i n g l
He walked away from her down the road for a fe w
p aces then back again a thousand memories thronging
, ,
into his mind He remembered th e freshness o f Bar

.
bara s lips agains t hi s o wn the sensation o f her young

’
,
body in his arm s and yet a fter all that she had —
, ,
thrown him over NO he could n o t believe in her any

.
,
more .
He s t opped before Mrs S impson and said gently .
“
enough : I m sorry But it i s no use beginning the
’
.
whole thing over again I can t believe a fter what .

’
passed between us that sh e would throw me over for

”
such a reason .
“
Canada i s so far urged M rs Simpson I am ,
. .
”
sure she thought o f that .
“
But I o ffered t o remain i n E ngland Tha t was .
”
n o excuse .
“ ”
You did ?
I should be miserable t o s e e yo u doing unsuitable work

and living in a narrow street S o you an d Barbara .
and I w ould all be less happy than we need ; and all

”
for nothing .
He looked down at her eager face dimly under ,
standing the passion o f mother love which urged her -
o n ; he even vaguely felt without putting his feeling

,
into thoughts that it could drive her just so into a

,
burning fiery furnace ; with that same high look and

nervous smile And he acknowledged thi s in hi s
.
reply .
“
Very well he said ,
’
I ll do wh at you think
.
’
”
best .
But he thou ght it an o dd thing tha t instead o f b e

ing invigorated by this announcement as he expected ,
s h e should drop suddenly upon the stone heap H er .
faintness soon passed however and sh e rose and

, ,
walked slowly with him in the direction o f the railway

station .
On arr i v i ng home sh e wen t straight t o bed W ithout

giving any in formation beyond the rather misleading
statement that sh e had been with Miss Pelling B u t .
next morning when the extremity o f her exhaustion

had passed o ff sh e told M r Simpson all that had taken
.
place They were in bed at the time and M r Simpson

.
, .
started up to say vehemently : Never heard of such “
tom fool e r y i n my li fe ! You might have died o n such

an expedition for his first thought w as for hi s w i fe
,
.
“
But immediately after w ards he said : B arbara has
been a good girl : sh e thought O f you be fore hersel f .
We re lucky to have such children whatever o ther

’
,
t roubles we have .
We are indeed Sam And she saw radiantly the

, .
j oy thei r children had brought and forgot the sorrow .
All the same I don t know how you will manage

,
’
without Barbara in the house especially now E lsie i s ,
going away he said , .
“
O h I am getting stronger again and shall no doubt
,
”
be perfectly well in a year o r two said M rs Simp , .
“
s on . A littl e more house w ork will do me good take ,
”
my thoughts o ff .
Well perhaps it may said M r S impson doubt

, , .
“
fully . We Shall have to s e e what can be managed ,
.
Th e War may be over soon and my business come back

”
again he concluded beginning to talk himsel f into
, ,
the optimistic V iew as usual .
But Barbara was not s o easily convinced and a fte r ,
the first burst o f surprise and happiness She began to

dwell again o n her mother s health At last sh e men ’
.
t i o n e d some thing of W hat the doctor had said .
“
It was that time you got ill because I left you to
”
go to Scarcli ff e sh e said He was very angry w ith
, .
”
me for leaving you to do all the work .
“
Oh I know he was ; and that made him speak as
“
he did responded M rs Simpson
, H e got the silly
.
idea tha t yo u w ere a selfish daughter w h o needed

frightening with proper attention ; but he has assured
me over and over again that I shall be as strong as ever
”
in a year o r two .
“
I wish I could ask him said Barbara still not , ,
sati sfied .
“
Well you can when he comes back from the Front
, ,
said M rs Simpson “
Meantime you ll perhaps con
.
,
’
”
t i n u e to believe your o wn M other .
S O in the end Barbara allowed hersel f to believe her

mother as she had always done ; and the next day

Brooke came t o F l o dmou th
It was late a fternoon when he arrived and Barbara ,
walked home with him from the station along the

slippery pavements covered with the greasy mud that
seldom quite dries in F l o d mo u th at this time o f year .
Sailors soldiers girls t ired bu t gay a fter their day s

, ,
’
w ork school children running riotously n e wsboys

,
-
,
hawking papers all these ebbed and flowed round the

—
lovers who remained unconscious o f them and yet

,
were aware o f a j olly stir o f li fe which made their o wn

j oy more secret and intimate This was a fruition .
“
as with all lovers o f Childhood s pretty glee in talk
—
’
”
ing secrets And i t mattered as little to Barbara and
.
J ulian w hat the secret w a s so long as they alone shared

it They were in that state o f divine folly when it
.
was most rapturously sweet to mumble to each other

“
during a block at a stre et corner : Do you se e that
”
woman s hat Julian ?
’
,
“
Yes Barbara I shall not let you have o ne like
, ,
”
that when we are married .
Married ! And immediately the word s et j oy bells -
ringing and clashing all over the world o r at least —
they felt it to be s o as they clung together in crossing

the road They had such a delightful sense o f safety
.
,
o f belonging to each other .
But these things can never be t old at the t ime by

“
true lovers and Brooke j ust said fervently : We ll
,
’
spend o u r honeymoon at Cheltenham We must take .
lodgings in an old house like the one we w ent into

that afternoon But you ll be my w i fe this time
.
’
my o wn wi fe Will you go there Barbara

.
? ”
,
When the young people had gone to bed M r and , .
M rs Simpson sat silently before the fire for they were

.
not young and they were tired .
After a while M r S impson said bestirring himsel f

.
,
”
I think Barbara has chosen the right one .
“ ”
Yes ; i t s nice to see them so happy said M rs
’
, .
Simpson .
“
And w e are very com fortable here said M r Simp , .
son unconsciously ans w ering something wistful in his

,
“
wi fe s voice
’
O h we shall be as snug as a bug in a
.
,
”
rug here .
Yes you can so soon get this room nice and warm
, ,
“
said Mrs Simpson That i s a great thing when people
. .
”
are growing O ld like you and me Sam , .
“
O f course it i s We shouldn t want large rooms
.
’
fo r j ust us two even i f we could a fford them Th e .
children all gone

“
N0 thi s house i s exactly the thing for us now
,
.
They were silent again bo th thinking o f Jim ; they

,
were able to look with hope and j oy through the win

dow their boy had left open .
And above them the banner float ed .
TH E E ND
TH E NO VELS O F
M A R Y R O B E RTS R I N E H A RT
May be h ad wh ere v k
boo s are s o d l A k f r G osset 8 D nl p s li st
'
er . s o r 1 u a .
I l lu strated
”
K . .
K Le M oy n e , fam ous surgeon , d r op s ou t o f th e worl d th at

h as kno wn h im
.
an d g oes t o li v e in a li ttl e t own wh ere

beau tifu l S idn ey Page l i v es S h e i s in trai n ing t o become a
,
n ur se Th e j oys an d t rou b l es of th ei r y oun g lo v e ar e to ld

wi t h th at k een an d sy mp ath e ti c app re ci ation whi ch h as
.
m ad e th e au th or fam ou s .
THE M AN I N L OW E R TEN .
I ll us trat ed b y Howard Ch an dl er Ch n sty

’
An ab sorb in g d e t e c ti ve s t ory woven around t h e yst er i m

ou s d eat h o f th e Th e s tr on ges t
“ ”
M an i n L ower Ten
e lem
.
en ts of M rs Rin eh ar t s s u cc ess are f ou n d i n th i s b ook

’
. .
W HE N A M AN M ARRI E S .
Il lus trate d by H arri son Fis h er and Mayo B un ker .
A young artis t , wh os e wife h ad r ece n tly d i vor c ed hi m

find s th at h is aun t i s soon t o vi si t hi m Th e aun t, wh o
c on tri bu tes t o th e fami ly in come an d wh o h as n e v er s een
.
t h e wife , knows n oth i n g o f t h e d om es ti c up h eaval H OW

m m m m
.
t h e y ou n g an e t th e si t uati on is h u orou sl y an d os t
en ter tai ni ngl y t ol d .
TH E C I RCULAR S TAI RC AS E I llus b y Lester Ral ph

. . .
Th e su mm
er o ccu p an ts o f
“
S unnys i d e ”
fin d th e d ead
body of Arn o l d Arms trong, t h e son of t h e own er , on t h e ci r
cul ar s t air c as e Fol lowi n g t h e m
. u r d er 8 b an k f ai l ur e i s an .
n ou n c ed Ar ou n d t h ese t wo e v en ts is woven a p lo t Of
.
ab s orbin g in t erest .
THE S T RE E T OF S EVEN S TARS .
I ll us trate d (Ph ot o P lay Ed iti on ) .
Harm ony W ell s , s tu dy i n g in Vi enn a t o b e a great vi o

m
l in i s t , s u d denly re ali ze s th at h er on ey i s almos t gon e S h e
mee ts a young ambi ti ous do c tor wh o Offers h er chi valry an d
.
sy m p at h y, an d to ge t h er w i t h wor ld-W orn D r Ann a an d

Jim mi e, t h e waif, t h ey sh are th ei r love and slen der means
.
GROSS E T D U NLA P , PU B LI SH E RS , NE W YOR K

B O O TH TA R K I N G T O N S ’
N O VE L S
May be had wh ere v er k
b oo s are s o ld . As kffor
'
G ross et l
a. Dea e r s llst
'
.
S E VE NTE E N . I llus tr ate d by Ar th ur W i lli a mB rown .
No one b u t th e creator of Pen rod c oul d h ave p ortrayed

th e imm or t al y ou n g p eop le o f thi s s t ory I ts h u mor is irre
m
in i s c en t of th e tim
.
s is ti b l e an d re e wh en t h e reader was
S even te en .
PE NR OD . I llus trat ed by Gord on Gran t .
Th i s i s c tu re of a boy s h eart full o f t h e l ovable h u

a pi
’
morons t c th in gs wh i ch are l oc ked se cr ets t o most ol d er

, ,
,
ragi
fol ks . I t is a fin i sh ed e xqu i si te work , .
PENROD AND SAM Ill us t rat ed by W orth B reh m . .
Se v en t een t h is book c on tains

”
L ike P enro d an d
s om e rem ark ab l e p h as e s o f r e al b oyh o od an d s om
,
e o f t h e be st
st ori e s of j u veni l e p r an ki sh n es s t h at h ave e v e r b een wri tten .
THE TURM OI L Ill us trated by C E Ch am . bers . . .
Bi bb s S h eri d an i s a dre am y im agin ative y ou th wh o re

volts agains t h i s fath er s p l ans for h imt o b e a s er v i tor of
, ,
’
b i g b us i n ess Th e l o v e of a fin e gi r l turns Bi bb s li f e from

.
’
fai l ure t o su ccess .
THE GE NTLE M AN FR OM I ND I ANA Fr on ti sp i e ce . .
A s tory of l o v e an d p o l i ti cs more es p e c ially a p i ct ure of

—
a c ou n try ed i to r s li f e i n I n di ana b u t th e ch ar mof t h e book

,
’
,
li es in t h e l ove in t eres t .
TH E F L I R T I ll us tr ated b y Clarenc e F Underwood

. . .
Th e Fli r t th e y ounger of t wo si s t ers breaks one gir l s

” ’
en gagem e n t d ri ves on e m an to sui c i d e c auses t h e m

, ,
,
ur d er ,
o f an o th e r l e ads an o th er to l os e h i s for t un e an d i n t h e en d
marries a s tu p i d an d un promisin g sui tor l eaving th e re all y
, ,
wort h y on e t o m
,
arry h er si st er .
Ask for Comp le te fre e l ist of G . G D . P opu l ar Copy ri gh ted Fi cti on
GROS S E T D U N LA P , PU B LI S H E RS , NE W YOR K
S E W E L L F O R D S S TO R I E S
’
M y b h d wh v b k
a e re ld A k f G ros t B l p l i t
a ere er oo s a so . s or se uo a
’
s s .
S H O R T Y M C C AB E I ll t t d b y F a ci V x W i l n . u s ra e r n s au so .
A v ry h e n st y Th h er
u n ot o i d p d s t d vi gor us , e o , an n e en en an o ro
thi k n s lif
er , se ed t ll b t i t in a v y u co n v n t i
e, an l wy
e s a ou er n e o na a .
S I D E S T E P P I N G W I T H SH O R T Y
-
.
Il l t t d b y F
us ra e ci V x W i l ra n s au so n .
Tw t y ki t en p ti g p
s pl wit h th i
s, f ib l
re s e n S ymp th y n eo e e r o es . a
wi t h h u man n at ur e a n d a n a b o u n d i n g se n s e o f h umor are t h e req u i o
‘
”
si t e s fo r si d e-s t e p p in g wi t h S h o r t y .
S H O R TY M C CA B E O N TH E JO B .
Il l u s tra t e d c
b y F ra n i s Vau x W i l
s on .
S h o rt y M c Ca b e r ea p p ears w i t h h i s figu res o f s p ee h re amp e d c v

ri g h t u p t o t h e inu t e m
H e a i d s i n t h e ri g h t d is t ri b u t i on o f a.
.
o n s ci e n e f u n d ,
c c v c c
“ ”
a nd gi e s j o y t o a ll o n er ne d .
S HO R T Y M C AB E S O D D NUM B E R S C
’
.
I ll t t d b y F
u s ra e ci V x W i l ra n s au s o n.
Th ese f urt h er ch r o mcl es of S h o rty M c Cab e t e l of h is s t u d i o for l

p h y sic l c lt a u ur e , a n d o f h is c
exp er i en e s b o t h o n t h e as t s i d e an d at E
s we ll y ach t i g p n ar t i es .
T O R C HY I ll l h man d J as M t g m y F l gg
. us, b y Geo B . e . on o er a .
A d h d dre ffi c b y-
v fl wi g wi t h W i t d wi d mp
ea e o e o , o er o n an s o e~
c li t t h y t h
u at o d on t h e i d w lk
ou f Ne w Y k te ll t h e
s r ea re e s e a s o or . s
t
s or y f hi xp i o c s e er e n es .
T R Y I N G O U T T O R C HY I ll t t d b y F Fos t er L i ncoln . u s ra e . .
T ch y i j t
or d l i u l y f nn y i n t h ese t i
s us as a h wa i n
e ir o s u s o r es s e s
th p vi
e b k
re ou s oo .
O N W I T H TO R C HY I ll u t at d b y F F t Li n c ln . s r e . o s er o .
T ch y f ll d p t ly i l v wi t h t h e l y g i l t h t ever “
or a s es er a e n o e on r a
was
"
b u t t h at y o un g so c i e t y wo ma n au nt t ri s t o k ee p t h e y un g
'
s e o
ma n y h i l ari o u s l y fu n n y s i t u at io ns
.
p eopl ec ap ar t , wh i h b ri n gs ab o u t .
T O R C HY P R I VAT E S E C , . I ll u s t ra t e d by F . F o s t er L in c ln o .
T ch y i es f m t h
or p r s ro e o s i t i o n o f o fii ce b o y t o t h at o f s c et ary
e r
fo r t h e Co rr u gat ed I r on C o mp an y . Th e s t o ry i s f u of h u ll mor and
i nf e ti ou s A m
c er i can s an g l .
W IL T THO U T O R C HY . I ll us b y . F . S na p p an d A W . . B ro wn.
c
To r h y g oe s t r eas ure s ea r h e xp e d i t i o n t o th e F o ri da W est
on a c l
cm
C oast , i n o p an y wi th a gro u p o f f ri e n d s o f th e Corru gat ed Trus t
and wi th h i s f ri e n d s au n t . o n wh i c h t r i p To r h y wi n s th e au nt s c
’ ’
m l c
p er is si o n to p a e a n e n ga g e en t ri n g o n Vee s fin ge r m ’
.
GROSS E T D U N LA P , PUB LI S H E RS , NE W YORK

AM ES
’
j O LI V E R C U RW O O D S
S T O RI E S O F AD V EN T U R E
May be had wh erever b ooks are s o ld . Ask for G rosset and Dunl ap s ist
'
l .
K A Z AN
Th e t al e of a qu a rt e r -st r ai n wol f an d th re e qu art e rs h us ky-
t o rn b e t we e n t h e c all o f t h e h u m n n d h i s wi l d mat e
a a .
B ARE E , S ON OF KA Z A N
Th e s t o ry o f t h e so n o f b i n d Gr e y W o f an d th e g a
th e l l l l ant
l
p art h e p ay e d i n t h e i e s lv of a m an an d a wo m an .
TH E CO R G E U A
F C O
A P T A I N P LU M
Th es t ory o f t h e K i g f B v r I s l an d a M ormo n c o l on y
n o ea e
an d h i s b tt l e wi t h C p t i n P l um
, .
a a a .
TH E D A NG E R T R A I L
A t l o f s n ow o f l o v e o f I n di an v e n g e an c e an d a m
a e , . y st e ry ,
No rt h
o f th e .
TH E HU NT E D WOM A N
A ta le of th e
“
e nd o f l in e
th e an d o f a g re at figh t in t h e
wom
,
v l ley
a go d of
fo r a l an .
TH E F LO W E R O F TH E NOR T H
Th e f F o rt 0 G o d wh e re t h e wi d fl a l v or of th e l
wi d e r
’
s t o ry o
m
,
l
n e s s i s b e n d e d wi th t h e o u rt y at o sp h e re o f c l F ran c e .
TH E G R I Z Z LY K I NG
Th e s t o ry o f Th o r, t h e b i g grizzl y wh o l i v e d i n a v all e y wh e re
man h ad ne v e r co me
I S OB E L
l ov e st o ry o f th e Far No rth
A .
TH E W O LF HU NT E R S
A th ri l l in g t al e o f d v e n t ur e in th e C n d i an wi l d e rn es s
a a a .
TH E G OL D HU NT E R S
Th e sto y o f ad v e n t e i n t h e H u d son B y wil ds
r ur a .
TH E CO U R A G E O F M A R G E O B O O NE ’
wo me n .
B A CK TO G O D S CO U NT R Y '
GROSS E T D U NLA P , PU B LI SH E R S , NE W YOR K

RA LP H C O N N O R S S TO R I E S
’
O F THE NO R T H W E S T
v k
May be h ad wh e re er boo s are so d l . Ask fo r G rosse t Dunlap s Ils t
'
THE S K Y PI L OT I N NO M AN S ’
LAND
-r
Th e cl ean h earte d , s tron g-E bed
- m m
an o f t h e W e st l eaves
an d f ores ts t o fi gh t t h e b a ttl e for f ree d o m
i
h s h ill s in th e
0 l worl d
B LACK ROCK
A story Of strong mn in t h e mo n tains
e u of t h e W es t .
THE S KY PI L OT
A st ory Of c owb oy life abou n d in g i n t h e fres h es t h umor
, ,
t h e t ru e s t te n d ern ess an d t h e fines t c ou rage .
THE PROS PE C TOR

A t al e Of t h e f o othi lls an d Of th e m an wh o c am e t o th e m
t o l en d a h an d t o th e l on ely m e n an d wom en wh o n ee de d a
p rote cto r .
THE M AN FR OM GLENG ARRY

Thi s n arr a ti v e bri ngs us i n to c on t act l ment al an d
wi th e e
vol can i c h uman n atu re an d wi t h a h er o wh os e p ower b reat h es
fromevery word .
G LE NG ARR Y S CHOOL D AYS

I n thi s rou gh cou n try Of Gl en garry Ral p h Conn or h as
foun d h u m
,
an n at ure i n t h e rou gh .
THE D OCT OR
Th e s tory Of a p re ach e r d o c tor wh om b i g m
”
- en an d
re ckl ess m en l ove d for hi s u nse l fi sh l ife among th em .
THE FOREI GNE R

A t al e Of t h e S as kat c h ewan and o f a fore igner ! wh o
’
made a brave and winning figh t for manh ood an d love .
CORPORAL C AM E RON
Thi s sp l en di d t yp e of t h e Up ri gh t ou t-Oi d oor m an abou t
,
-
wh i ch R al p h Conn or b ui l ds all hi s s t ori es ap p e ars agai n in ,
GROSS E T D U NL A P ,
PUB L I S H E RS ,
’
NE W YORK
S T O R M C O U N T RY B O O KS B Y
G RA C E M I L L E R W H I TE
May be h ad wh ere v er boo ks are so ld . As k for G rosse t l
Dun ap
’
s li ts .
JU D Y O F R O GU E S H A R B O R ’
Ju d y s u n tu to r e d i d e as O f G o d h e r l o v e o f wi l d th in g s
’
' . , ,
h er faith in l i f e are q u i te as i n sp i ri n g as th o se Of Te s s .
H e r fai th an d s i n c e ri ty c atch at yo u r h e art s tr i n g s Th i s

b ook h as al l of t h e myste ry an d te n s e act io n o f th e oth e r
.
S to rm Cou n try b o ok s .
T E S S O F THE S T O R M C OU NT R Y
I t was as Te s s b e au ti f u l wi l d im p e tu o u s th at M ary
P i ck f o r d m a d e h e r r e p u t ati o n a s a m
, , , ,
o t i o n p i c t u r e a c tr e s s
H ow l ove a c t s u p on a te m p e ram a te m
.
e n t s u c h as h e r s -
e n t t h at m ak e s a wo m
.
p e r am an an an g e l o r an o u t c as t ao
c o rd i ng t o t h e c h ar ac te r Of t h e man s h e l o v e s— i s th e
,
th em e of t h e story .
TH E S E C R E T O F TH E S T O R M C OU NT R Y
Th e s e qu e l t o Te s s o f t h e S to r m C o u n try wi th th e
”
,
s am e W i l d b ackg r o u n d wi th i ts h al f gyp s y l if e o f t h e s quat

,
-
te rs te mp e stu o u s p as s i o n ate b roo d i n g Te ss l e arn s th e

-
, ,
.
s e c re t O f h e r b i rth an d fi n d s h ap p i n e ss an d l o v e th roug h
h e r b ou n d l e s s fai th i n l i f e .
F R O M TH E V A LL E Y O F TH E M I S S I NG
A h au n t in g s to ry wi th i t s s c e n e l ai d n e ar t h e c o un try
fam i l i ar t o r e ad e r s of Te s s of t h e S to rmCo u n tr y
“ "
.
R O S E O P A R AD I S E
’
Jinn y S i n g l eto n wi l d l ov e l y l on e l y b u t wi th a p as
s i on at e y e arn i ng fo r m
, , , ,
u s i c g r o ws u p in t h e h o u s e o f L af e
G r an d oke n a c ri p p l e d c o bb l e r Of t h e S to rmC o u n tr y H er
,
.
,
ro man ce i s fu ll O f p ower an d g lory an d ten d e rn e s s .
Ask for Co mp l e te f re e l ist of G . (9 D l P op u l ar Copy righ ted Fi cti o n

.
GROSS ET D U N LA P , PUB LI SH E RS , NE W YORK

m
Unive rs ity at Calil o ia
S OUTHERN REG l O NAL Ll B RARY FAC ILITY
4
05 Hilgard Ave nue , Loo Ange le s , CA 90024 -1 388
Re i u mth is m l l
ate ria to th e i b rary
fro m wh ic h It was b orro we d .

TheSilentLegion 10207569

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

TheSilentLegion 10207569

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TH E

BY GE ORGE H D ORAN COMPANY

PRI NTED I N THE U NI T DE STATE S OF AME RI CA

ONE LI TT LE COMP ANY

! VI CHE LTE NHAM

H E S TNU T AV E NU E i s a long s t re et with a ,

h i gh wa l l concealing the r a i l wa y lines a t

and a main road running across the other In it is a .

constan t noise o f w heels car bells distan t footsteps

and newsboys shouting But as all these sounds are a

little so f tened by distance they mingle toge ther and

form an accompaniment to which every li fe in the

Babies are ushered into the grimy brick houses from

an engine w histle over the wall And it i s thus the .

t ired souls go out .

But those who are actually living there do not hear

or very tired ; then they feel a little forlorn like people ,

standing alone by th e sea at evening with the drawing

N obody knows why the street was originally called

trees and has produced no chestnuts within the memory

o f man saving only those verbal ones which fat

fathers like M r Simpson throw at other fat fathers

over garden railings a fter business hours I t i s i n .

back garden H e certainly still employs the j oke abou t

the cura t e s egg ’

O n thi s spring a fternoon o f 1 9 1 7 he s t ood resting

a trembling hand and wondering for the momen t i f

H e had n o idea a t all tha t he was a hero As a .

plain matter o f fact he would have been exceedingly

annoye d had any o ne called him any such thing and ,

would have crossed over the road i n future to avoid

strange instinct which forbids the middle class t o blow

Thi s i s all the more strange now because everybo d y

for ages through long silver trumpets o f course ; and ,

only yesterday as time goes in history the working

class suddenly began to blow brass ones so loudly

the silver trumpets could no longer be heard Bu t .

the class t o which M r Simpson belongs simply does .

Many members o f it like Mr Simpson s sister i n , .

These are the traitors And when Mrs Horace Simp

s o n went to associate in Bath with a few ancien t O ff

shoots o f the aristocracy who had put into port t h ere

the Simpsons and trotted o u t constantly an aunt o f her

R iding o f Yorkshire But beyond withdrawing her

capital and further embarrassing M r Simpson s busi .

ness sh e soo n ceased to t rouble her relatives in Ches t

I t was in the September o f 1 9 1 4tha t her husband ,

Maj or Horace Simpson o f the Territorials had su d ,

d e n l y ceased t o go into F l o d mou th every day with a

almos t ne x t day as i t seemed he had died gloriously

fo r hi s country leading a forlorn hope

Th e news fell s o strangely then o n Ches t nu t Avenue .

Th e people there had hated war and had absolutel y

days Th e idea o f taking the li fe o f another man with

whom they had no personal quarrel seemed intolerable

they began t o steel themselves as i f they had seen a

friend struck down beside them .

Then time went on a little and s o many things

given fo r thinking as he sometimes did think that

his only brother had died in vain But thi s was n ot .

so ; fo r a wind O f the spirit passed then through the

grey streets o f F l o d mo u th raising dead things to li fe

in the o l d city like the rustling wind in the cave o f