Butherememberedagreeablyherwhiteshouldersandthatturnofherneckwhenshelookedatyouwiththosebiggreyeyesofhers。Onlyafive—dayacquaintanceship，buttheyhadcrowdedmuchintoitasonedidinastrangeland。Theepisodehadbeenagreenanddangerousspot，likeoneofthosebrightmossybitsofbogwhenyouweresnipe—
shooting，tosetfootonwhichwastoletyoudownuptotheneck，atleast。Well，therewasnoneofthatdangernow，forherhusbandwasdead—poorchap！Itwouldbenice，inthesedismaldays，whennobodyspentanytimewhateverexceptintheserviceofthecountry，toimprovehispowersofservicebyafewhours’recreationinhersociety。’Whathumbugsweare！’hethought:’Toreadthenewspapersandthespeechesyou’dbelieveeverybodythoughtofnothingbuthowtogetkilledforthesakeofthefuture。Drunkonverbiage！WhatheadsandmouthsweshallallhavewhenwewakeupsomefinemorningwithPeaceshininginatthewindow！Ah！Ifonlywecould;andenjoyourselvesagain！’Andhegazedatthemoon。Shewasdippingalready，reelingawayintothedawn。Watercartsandstreetsweepershadcomeoutintotheglimmer;sparrowstwitteredintheeaves。Thecitywasraisingastrangeunknownfacetothegreylight，shutteredanddesertedasBabylon。JimmyForttappedouthispipe，sighed，andgotintobed。
2
Comingoffdutyatthatverymoment，LeilaLynchdecidedtohaveherhour’swalkbeforeshewenthome。Shewasinchargeoftwowards，andasaruletookthedaywatches;butsomeslightupsethadgivenherthisextraspell。Shewas，therefore，atherworst，orperhapsatherbest，aftereighteenhoursinhospital。Hercheekswerepale，andabouthereyeswerelittlelines，normallyinhiding。Therewasinthisfaceapuzzlingblendofthesoftandhard，fortheeyes，theratherfulllips，andpalecheeks，werenaturallysoft;buttheywerehardenedbytheself—containmentwhichgrowsonwomenwhohavetofacelifeforthemselves，and，consciousofbeauty，intendtokeepit，inspiteofage。Herfigurewascontradictory，also;itssoftmodellingalittletoorigidifiedbystays。Inthisdesertofthedawnsheletherlongblueovercoatflaploose，andswungherhatonafinger，sothatherlight—brown，touched—uphairtookthemorningbreezewithfluffyfreedom。Thoughshecouldnotseeherself，sheappreciatedherappearance，swayingalonglikethat，pastlonelytreesandhouses。ApitytherewasnoonetoseeherinthatroundofRegent’sPark，whichtookherthebestpartofanhour，walkinginmeditation，enjoyingthecolourcomingbackintotheworld，asifespeciallyforher。
TherewascharacterinLeilaLynch，andshehadlivedaninterestinglifefromacertainpointofview。InhergirlhoodshehadflutteredtheheartsofmanybesidesCousinEdwardPierson，andateighteenhadmadeapassionatelovematchwithagood—lookingyoungIndiancivilian，namedFane。Theyhadlovedeachothertoastandstillintwelvemonths。Thenhadbegunfiveyearsofpetulance，boredom，andgrowingcynicism，withincreasingspellsofSimla，andvoyageshomeforherhealthwhichwasreallyharmedbytheheat。Allhadculminated，ofcourse，inanotherpassionforariflemancalledLynch。Divorcehadfollowed，remarriage，andthentheBoerWar，inwhichhehadbeenbadlywounded。Shehadgoneoutandnursedhimbacktohalfhisrobusthealth，and，attwenty—eight，takenuplifewithhimonanup—countryfarminCapeColony。Thismiddleperiodhadlastedtenyears，betweenthelonelyfarmandanoldDutchhouseatHighConstantia。Lynchwasnotabadfellow，but，likemostsoldiersoftheoldArmy，hadbeenquitecarefullydivestedofanaestheticsense。AnditwasLeila’smisfortunetohavemomentswhenaestheticsenseseemednecessary。Shehadstruggledtoovercomethisweakness，andthatotherweaknessofhers——alikingformen’sadmiration;buttherehadcertainlybeenintervalswhenshehadnotproperlysucceeded。HeracquaintancewithJimmyForthadoccurredduringoneoftheseintervals，andwhenhewentbacktoEnglandsoabruptly，shehadbeenfeelingverytenderlytowardshim。Shestillrememberedhimwithacertainpleasure。BeforeLynchdied，these\"intervals\"hadbeeninterruptedbyaspellofreturningwarmthfortheinvalidedmantowhomshehadjoinedherlifeundertheromanticconditionsofdivorce。Hehadfailed，ofcourse，asafarmer，andhisdeathleftherwithnothingbutherownsettledincomeofahundredandfiftypoundsayear。Facedbytheprospectofhavingalmosttomakeherliving，atthirty—eight，shefeltbutmomentarydismay——forshehadrealpluck。Likemanywhohaveplayedwithamateurtheatricals，shefanciedherselfasanactress;but，aftermucheffort，foundthatonlyhervoiceandtheperfectpreservationofherlegswereappreciatedbythediscerningmanagersandpublicofSouthAfrica;andforthreechequeredyearsshemadefaceagainstfortunewiththehelpofthem，underanassumedname。Whatshedid——keepingacertainbloomofrefinement，wasfarbetterthantheachievementsofmanymorerespectableladiesinhershoes。Atleastsheneverbemoanedher\"reducedcircumstances，\"andifherlifewasirregularandhadatleastthreeepisodes，itwasveryhuman。Shebravelytooktheroughwiththesmooth，neverlostthepowerofenjoyingherself，andgrewinsympathywiththehardshipsofothers。
Butshebecamedeadlytired。Whenthewarbrokeout，rememberingthatshewasagoodnurse，shetookherrealnameagainandachangeofoccupation。Foronewholikedtopleasemen，andtobepleasedbythem，therewasacertainattractionaboutthatlifeinwar—time;andaftertwoyearsofitshecouldstillappreciatethewayherTommiesturnedtheirheadstolookatherwhenshepassedtheirbeds。Butinahardschoolshehadlearnedperfectself—control;andthoughthesourandpuritanicalperceivedherattraction，theyknewhertobeforty—three。Besides，thesoldierslikedher;andtherewaslittletroubleinherwards。Thewarmovedherinsimpleways;forshewaspatrioticinthedirectfashionofherclass。Herfatherhadbeenasailor，herhusbandsanofficialandasoldier;theissueforherwasuncomplicatedbyanyabstractmeditation。TheCountrybeforeeverything！Andthoughshehadtendedduringthosetwoyearssomanyyoungwreckedbodies，shehadtakenitasallintheaday’swork，lavishinghersympathyontheindividual，withoutmuchgeneralsenseofpityandwaste。Yes，shehadworkedreallyhard，had\"doneherbit\";butoflateshehadfeltrisingwithinhertheoldvaguecravingfor\"life，\"forpleasure，forsomethingmorethanthemerenegativeadmirationbestowedonherbyher\"Tommies。\"Thoseoldletters——tolookthemthroughthemhadbeenasuresignofthisvaguecraving——hadsharpenedtopoignancythefeelingthatlifewasslippingawayfromherwhileshewasstillcomely。ShehadbeenlongoutofEngland，andsohard—workedsinceshecamebackthattherewerenotmanythreadsshecouldpickupsuddenly。Twolettersoutofthatlittlebudgetofthepast，withafarcrybetweenthem，hadawakenedwithinhercertainsentimentallongings。
\"DEARLADYOFTHESTARRYFLOWERS，\"Exiturus（sic）tosaluto！Thetendercarriesyouthismessageofgood—bye。Simplyspeaking，IhateleavingSouthAfrica。Andofallmymemories，thelastwilllivethelongest。GrapeharvestatConstantia，andyousinging:’IfIcouldbethefallingdew:IfeveryouandyourhusbandcometoEngland，doletmeknow，thatImaytryandrepayalittlethehappiestfivedaysI’vespentouthere。
\"Yourveryfaithfulservant，\"TIMMYFORT。\"
Sherememberedaverybrownface，atallslimfigure，andsomethinggallantaboutthewholeofhim。Whatwashelikeaftertenyears？
Grizzled，married，withalargefamily？Anodiousthing——Time！AndCousinEdward’slittleyellowletter。
Goodheavens！Twenty—sixyearsago——beforehewasaparson，ormarriedoranything！Suchagoodpartner，reallymusical;aqueer，dearfellow，devoted，absentminded，easilyshocked，yetwithflameburninginhimsomewhere。
’DEARLEILA，\"AfterourlastdanceIwentstraightoff’——Icouldn’tgoin。Iwentdowntotheriver，andwalkedalongthebank;itwasbeautiful，allgreyandhazy，andthetreeswhispered，andthecowslookedholy;andIwalkedalongandthoughtofyou。Andafarmertookmeforalunatic，inmydressclothes。DearLeila，youweresoprettylastnight，andIdidloveourdances。Ihopeyouarenottired，andthatIshallseeyousoonagain:
\"Youraffectionatecousin，\"EDWARDPIERSON。\"
Andthenhehadgoneandbecomeaparson，andmarried，andbeenawidowerfifteenyears。Sherememberedthedeathofhiswife，justbeforesheleftforSouthAfrica，atthatperiodofdisgracewhenshehadsoshockedherfamilybyherdivorce。PoorEdward——quitethenicestofhercousins！Theonlyoneshewouldcaretoseeagain。Hewouldbeveryoldandterriblygoodandproper，bynowHerwheelofRegent’sParkwascomingfullcircle，andthesunwasupbehindthehouses，butstillnosoundoftrafficstirred。Shestoppedbeforeaflower—bedwherewassomeheliotrope，andtookalong，luxurioussniff:Shecouldnotresistpluckingasprig，too，andholdingittohernose。Asuddenwantoflovehadrunthrougheverynerveandfibreofher;sheshivered，standingtherewithhereyeshalfclosed，abovethepalevioletblossom。Then，notingbyherwrist—watchthatitwasfouro’clock，shehurriedon，togettoherbed，forshewouldhavetobeondutyagainatnoon。Oh！thewar！
Shewastired！Ifonlyitwereover，andonecouldlive！……
SomewherebyTwickenhamthemoonhadfloateddown;somewhereupfromKentishTownthesuncamesoaring;wheelsrolledagain，andthesevenmillionsleepersintheirmillionhouseswokefrommorningsleeptothatsamethought……
IX
EdwardPierson，dreamingoveraneggatbreakfast，openedaletterinahandwritingwhichhedidnotrecognise。
\"V。A。D。Hospital，\"MulberryRoad，St。John’sWoodN。W。
\"DEARCOUSINEDWARD，\"Doyourememberme，orhaveIgonetoofarintotheshadesofnight？
IwasLeilaPiersononceuponatime，andIoftenthinkofyouandwonderwhatyouarelikenow，andwhatyourgirlsarelike。Ihavebeenherenearlyayear，workingforourwounded，andforayearbeforethatwasnursinginSouthAfrica。Myhusbanddiedfiveyearsagooutthere。Thoughwehaven’tmetforIdarenotthinkhowlong，Ishouldawfullyliketoseeyouagain。Wouldyoucaretocomesomedayandlookovermyhospital？Ihavetwowardsunderme;ourmenareratherdears。
\"Yourforgottenbutstillaffectionatecousin\"LEILALYNCH。\"
\"P。S。Icameacrossalittleletteryouoncewroteme;itbroughtbackolddays。\"
No！Hehadnotforgotten。Therewasareminderinthehouse。AndhelookedupatNoelsittingopposite。Howliketheeyeswere！Andhethought:’IwonderwhatLeilahasbecome。Onemustn’tbeuncharitable。Thatmanisdead;shehasbeennursingtwoyears。Shemustbegreatlychanged;Ishouldcertainlyliketoseeher。Iwillgo！’AgainhelookedatNoel。Onlyyesterdayshehadrenewedherrequesttobeallowedtobeginhertrainingasanurse。
\"I’mgoingtoseeahospitalto—day，Nollie，\"hesaid;\"ifyoulike，I’llmakeenquiries。I’mafraidit’llmeanyouhavetobeginbywashingup。\"
\"Iknow;anything，solongasIdobegin。\"
\"Verywell;I’llseeaboutit。\"Andhewentbacktohisegg。
Noel’svoicerousedhim。\"Doyoufeelthewarmuch，Daddy？Doesithurtyouhere？\"Shehadputherhandonherheart。\"Perhapsitdoesn’t，becauseyoulivehalfinthenextworld，don’tyou？\"
Thewords:\"Godforbid，\"sprangtoPierson’slips;hedidnotspeakthem，butputhisegg—spoondown，hurtandbewildered。Whatdidthechildmean？Notfeelthewar！Hesmiled。
\"IhopeI’mabletohelppeoplesometimes，Nollie，\"andwasconsciousthathehadansweredhisownthoughts，notherwords。Hefinishedhisbreakfastquickly，andverysoonwentout。HecrossedtheSquare，andpassedEast，downtwocrowdedstreetstohischurch。Inthetrafficofthosestreets，allslipshodandconfused，hisblack—
clothedfigureandgraveface，withitsVandykbeard，hadacuriousremoteappearance，likeamovingremnantofapastcivilisation。Hewentinbythesidedoor。Onlyfivedayshehadbeenaway，buttheyhadbeensofullofemotionthattheemptyfamiliarbuildingseemedalmoststrangetohim。Hehadcomethereunconsciously，gropingforanchorageandguidanceinthissuddenchangeofrelationshipbetweenhimandhisdaughters。Hestoodbythepalebrazeneagle，staringintothechancel。Thechoirwerewantingnewhymn—books——hemustnotforgettoorderthem！Hiseyessoughtthestained—glasswindowhehadputintothememoryofhiswife。Thesun，toohightoslant，wasburnishingitsbase，tillitglowedofadeepsherrycolour。\"Inthenextworld！\"WhatstrangewordsofNoel’s！Hiseyescaughttheglimmeroftheorgan—pipes;and，mountingtotheloft，hebegantoplaysoftchordswanderingintoeachother。Hefinished，andstoodgazingdown。Thisspacewithinhighwalls，underhighvaultedroof，wherelightwastonedtoaperpetualtwilight，brokenhereandtherebyalittleglowofcolourfromglassandflowers，metal，anddarkwood，washishome，hischarge，hisrefuge。Nothingmoveddownthere，andyet——wasnotemptinessmysteriouslyliving，theclosed—inairimprintedinstrangesort，asthoughthedroneofmusicandvoicesinprayerandpraiseclungtherestill？Hadnotsanctityapresence？Outside，abarrel—organdroveitstunealong;awagonstaggeredonthepavedstreet，andthedrivershoutedtohishorses;
somedistantgunsboomedoutinpractice，andtherollingofwheelsonwheelsformedanetofsound。Butthoseinvadingnoisesweretransmutedtoameremurmuringinhere;onlythesilenceandthetwilightwererealtoPierson，standingthere，alittleblackfigureinagreatemptyspace。
Whenheleftthechurch，itwasstillratherearlytogotoLeila’shospital;and，havingorderedthenewhymn—books，hecalledinatthehouseofaparishionerwhosesonhadbeenkilledinFrance。Hefoundherinherkitchen;anoldishwomanwholivedbycharing。ShewipedaseatfortheVicar。
\"Iwasjustmakin’meselfacupo’tea，sir。\"
\"Ah！Whatacomfortteais，Mrs。Soles！\"Andhesatdown，sothatsheshouldfeel\"athome。\"
\"Yes;itgivesme’eart—burn;Itakeeightortencupsaday，now。I
take’emstrong，too。Idon’tseemabletogetonwithoutit。I
’opetheyoungladiesarewell，sir？\"
\"Verywell，thankyou。MissNoelisgoingtobeginnursing，too。\"
\"Deary—me！She’sveryyoung;butalltheyounggellsaredoin’
somethingthesedays。I’vegotanieceinmunitions—makin’aprettypennysheis。I’vebeenmeanin’totellyou——Idon’tcometochurchnow;sincemysonwaskilled，Idon’tseemto’avethe’earttogoanywhere——’aven’tbeentoapicture—palacethesethreemonths。Anyexcitementstartsmecryin’。\"
\"Iknow;butyou’dfindrestinchurch。\"
Mrs。Solesshookherhead，andthesmalltwistedbobofherdiscolouredhairwobbledvaguely。
\"Ican’ttakeanyrecreation，\"shesaid。\"I’drathersit’ere，orbeatwork。Mysonwasarealsontome。Thistea’stheonlythingthatdoesmeanygood。Icanmakeyouafreshcupinaminute。\"
\"Thankyou，Mrs。Soles，butImustbegettingon。Wemustalllookforwardtomeetingourbelovedagain，inGod’smercy。AndoneofthesedayssoonIshallbeseeingyouinchurch，shan’tI。
Mrs。Solesshiftedherweightfromoneslipperedfoottotheother。
\"Well！let’s’opeso，\"shesaid。\"ButIdunnowhenIshall’avethespirit。Goodday，sir，andthankyoukindlyforcalling，I’msure。\"
Piersonwalkedawaywithaveryfaintsmile。Poorqueeroldsoul！
——shewasnoolderthanhimself，buthethoughtofherasancient——cutofffromherson，likesomany——somany;andhowgoodandpatient！Themelodyofananthembeganrunninginhishead。Hisfingersmovedontheairbesidehim，andhestoodstill，waitingforanomnibustotakehimtoSt。John’sWood。Athousandpeoplewentbywhilehewaswaiting，buthedidnotnoticethem，thinkingofthatanthem，ofhisdaughters，andthemercyofGod;andonthetopofhis’bus，whenitcamealong，helookedlonelyandapart，thoughthemanbesidehimwassofatthattherewashardlyanyseatlefttositon。
GettingdownatLord’sCricket—ground，heaskedhiswayofaladyinanurse’sdress。
\"Ifyou’llcomewithme，\"shesaid，\"I’mjustgoingthere。\"
\"Oh！DoyouhappentoknowaMrs。Lynchwhonurses\"
\"IamMrs。Lynch。Why，you’reEdwardPierson！\"
Helookedintoherface，whichhehadnotyetobserved。
\"Leila！\"hesaid。
\"Yes，Leila！Howawfullyniceofyoutocome，Edward！\"
Theycontinuedtostand，searchingeachfortheother’syouth，tillshemurmured:
\"Inspiteofyourbeard，Ishouldhaveknownyouanywhere！\"Butshethought:’PoorEdward！Heisold，andmonk—like！’
AndPierson，inanswer，murmured:
\"You’reverylittlechanged，Leila！Wehaven’t，seeneachothersincemyyoungestgirlwasborn。She’sjustalittlelikeyou。\"Buthethought:’MyNollie！Somuchmoredewy;poorLeila！’
Theywalkedon，talkingofhisdaughters，tilltheyreachedthehospital。
\"Ifyou’llwaithereaminute，I’lltakeyouovermywards。\"
Shehadlefthiminabarehall，holdinghishatinonehandandtouchinghisgoldcrosswiththeother;butshesooncamehack，andalittlewarmthcreptabouthisheart。Howworksofmercysuitedwomen！Shelookedsodifferent，somuchsofter，beneaththewhitecoif，withawhiteapronoverthebluishfrock。
Atthechangeinhisface，alittlewarmthcreptaboutLeila，too，justwherethebibofherapronstopped;andhereyesslidroundathimwhiletheywenttowardswhathadoncebeenabilliard—room。
\"Mymenaredears，\"shesaid;\"theylovetobetalkedto。\"
Underaskylightsixbedsjuttedoutfromagreendistemperedwall，oppositetosixbedsjuttingoutfromanothergreendistemperedwall，andfromeachbedafacewasturnedtowardsthemyoungfaces，withbutlittleexpressioninthem。Anurse，atthefarend，lookedround，andwentonwithherwork。ThesightofthewardwasnomorenewtoPiersonthantoanyoneelseinthesedays。Itwassofamiliar，indeed，thatithadpracticallynosignificance。Hestoodbythefirstbed，andLeilastoodalongside。Themansmiledupwhenshespoke，anddidnotsmilewhenhespoke，andthatagainwasfamiliartohim。Theypassedfrombedtobed，withexactlythesameresult，tillshewascalledaway，andhesatdownbyayoungsoldierwithalong，verynarrowheadandface，andaheavilybandagedshoulder。Touchingthebandagereverently，Piersonsaid:
\"Well，mydearfellow—stillbad？\"
\"Ah！\"repliedthesoldier。\"Shrapnelwound:It’scutthefleshproperly。\"
\"Butnotthespirit，Icansee！\"
Theyoungsoldiergavehimaquaintlook，asmuchastosay:\"Not’arfbad！\"andagramophoneclosetothelastbedbegantoplay:
\"GodblessDaddyatthewar！\"
\"Areyoufondofmusic？\"
\"Ilikeitwellenough。Passesthetime。\"
\"I’mafraidthetimehangsheavyinhospital。\"
\"Yes;ithangsabit’eavy;it’sjust’orspitallife。I’vebeenwoundedbefore，yousee。It’sbetterthanbein’outthere。IexpectI’lllosetheproperuseo’thisarm。Idon’tworry;I’llgetmydischarge。\"
\"You’vegotsomegoodnurseshere。\"
\"Yes;IlikeMrs。Lynch;she’stheladyIlike。\"
\"Mycousin。\"
\"Iseeyoucomeintogether。Iseeeverything’ere。Ithinkalot，too。Passesthetime。\"
\"Dotheyletyousmoke？\"
\"Oh，yes！Theyletussmoke。\"
\"Haveoneofmine？\"
Theyoungsoldiersmiledforthefirsttime。\"Thankyou;I’vegotplenty。\"
Thenursecameby，andsmiledatPierson。
\"He’soneofourblaseones;beeninbefore，haven’tyou，Simson？\"
Piersonlookedattheyoungman，whoselong，narrowface;whereonesandy—lashedeyeliddroopedjustalittle，seemedarmouredwithasortoflimitedomniscience。Thegramophonehadwhirredandgruntedinto\"SidiBrahim。\"Thenursepassedon。
\"’SeedyAbram，’\"saidtheyoungsoldier。\"TheFrenchiessingit;
theytakesituponeaftertheother，yeknow。\"
\"Ah！\"murmuredPierson;\"it’spretty。\"Andhisfingersdrummedonthecounterpane，forthetunewasnewtohim。Somethingseemedtomoveintheyoungman’sface，asifablindhadbeendrawnupalittle。
\"Idon’tmindFrance，\"hesaidabruptly;\"Idon’tmindtheshellsandthat;butIcan’tstickthemud。There’saloto’woundeddieinthemud;can’tgetup——smothered。\"Hisunwoundedarmmadearestlessmovement。\"Iwasnearlysmotheredmyself。Justmanagedtokeepmenoseup。\"
Piersonshuddered。\"ThankGodyoudid！\"
\"Yes;Ididn’tlikethat。ItoldMrs。LynchaboutthatonedaywhenIhadthefever。She’sanicelady;she’sseenalotofusboys:
Thatmud’snotright，youknow。\"Andagainhisunwoundedarmmadethatrestlessmovement;whilethegramophonestruckup:\"Theboysinbrown。\"ThemovementofthearmaffectedPiersonhorribly;heroseand，touchingthebandagedshoulder，said:
\"Good—bye;Ihopeyou’llsoonbequiterecovered。\"
Theyoungsoldier’slipstwistedinthesemblanceofasmile;hisdroopedeyelidseemedtotryandraiseitself。
\"Goodday，sir，\"hesaid;\"andthankyou。\"
Piersonwentbacktothehall。Thesunlightfellinapooljustinsidetheopendoor，andanuncontrollableimpulsemadehimmoveintoit，sothatitwarmedhimuptothewaist。Themud！Howuglylifewas！LifeandDeath！Bothugly！Poorboys！Poorboys！
Avoicebehindhimsaid:
\"Oh！Thereyouare，Edward！Wouldyouliketoseetheotherward，orshallIshowyouourkitchen？\"
Piersontookherhandimpulsively。\"You’redoinganoblework，Leila。Iwantedtoaskyou:CouldyouarrangeforNoeltocomeandgettrainedhere？Shewantstobeginatonce。Thefactis，aboysheisattractedtohasjustgoneouttotheFront。\"
\"Ah！\"murmuredLeila，andhereyeslookedverysoft。\"Poorchild！
Weshallbewantinganextrahandnextweek。I’llseeifshecouldcomenow。I’llspeaktoourMatron，andletyouknowto—night。\"Shesqueezedhishandhard。
\"DearEdward，I’msogladtoseeyouagain。You’rethefirstofourfamilyI’veseenforsixteenyears。Iwonderifyou’dbringNoeltohavesupperatmyflatto—night——Justnothingtoeat，youknow！It’satinyplace。There’saCaptainFortcoming;aniceman。\"
Piersonaccepted，andashewalkedawayhethought:’DearLeila！
IbelieveitwasProvidence。Shewantssympathy。Shewantstofeelthepastisthepast。Howgoodwomenare！’
Andthesun，blazingsuddenlyoutofacloud，shoneonhisblackfigureandthelittlegoldcross，inthemiddleofPortlandPlace。
X
Men，eveniftheyarenotartistic，whohavebeeninstrangeplacesandknownmanynooksoftheworld，getthescenichabit，becomeopentopictorialsensation。ItwasasapictureorseriesofpicturesthatJimmyForteverafterwardsrememberedhisfirstsupperatLeila’s。Hehappenedtohavebeenalldayintheopen，motoringabouttohorsefarmsunderahotsun;andLeila’shockcuppossessedablandandsubtlestrength。Thescenicsensederivedtherefromhadacertainpoignancy，themoresobecausethetallchildwhomhemettheredidnotdrinkit，andherfatherseemedbuttowethislips，sothatLeilaandhehadalltherest。Ratherawonderfullittlesceneitmadeinhismind，verywarm，glowing，yetwithastrangedarksharpnesstoit，whichcameperhapsfromtheblackwalls。
Theflathadbelongedtoanartistwhowasatthewar。Itwasbutapocketdwellingonthethirdfloor。Thetwowindowsofthelittlesquaresitting—roomlookedoutonsometreesandachurch。ButLeila，whohateddiningbydaylight，hadsoondrawncurtainsofadeepblueoverthem。ThepicturewhichFortrememberedwasthis:A
littlefour—squaretableofdarkwood，withaChinesematofvividblueinthecentre，whereonstoodasilverlustrebowlofclovecarnations;somegreenishglasseswithhockcupinthem;onhisleft，Leilainalowlilacfrock，herneckandshouldersverywhite，herfacealittlepowdered，hereyeslarge，herlipssmiling;oppositehimablack—clothedpadrewithalittlegoldcross，overwhosethindarkishface，withitsgravepointedbeard，passedlittlegentlesmiles，butwhosedeepsunkgreyeyeswereburntandbright;onhisright，agirlinahighgreyfrock，almostwhite，justhollowedattheneck，withfullsleevestotheelbow，sothatherslimarmsescaped;hershortfairhairalittletumbled;herbiggreyeyesgrave;herfulllipsshapingwithastrangedaintinessroundeveryword——andtheynotmany;brilliantredshadesovergoldenlightsdottingtheblackwalls;abluedivan;alittleblackpianoflushwiththewall;adarkpolishedfloor;fourJapaneseprints;awhiteceiling。HewasconsciousthathisownkhakispoiledsomethingascuriousandrareassomeoldChinesetea—chest。Heevenrememberedwhattheyate;lobster;coldpigeonpie;asparagus;St。Ivelcheese;
raspberriesandcream。Hedidnotrememberhalfsowellwhattheytalkedof，exceptthathehimselftoldthemstoriesoftheBoerWar，inwhichhehadservedintheYeomanry，andwhilehewastellingthem，thegirl，likeachildlisteningtoafairy—tale，nevermovedhereyesfromhisface。Herememberedthataftersuppertheyallsmokedcigarettes，eventhetallchild，afterthepadrehadsaidtohermildly，\"Mydear！\"andshehadanswered:\"Isimplymust，Daddy，justone。\"HerememberedLeilabrewingTurkishcoffee——verygood，andhowbeautifulherwhitearmslooked，hoveringaboutthecups。Herememberedhermakingthepadresitdownatthepiano，andplaytothem。Andsheandthegirlonthedivantogether，sidebyside，astrangecontrast;withjustasstrangealikenesstoeachother。Healwaysrememberedhowfineandrarethatmusicsoundedinthelittleroom，floodinghimwithadreamybeatitude。Then——heremembered——
Leilasang，thepadrestanding—by;andthetallchildonthedivanbendingforwardoverherknees，withherchinonherhands。HerememberedrathervividlyhowLeilaturnedherneckandlookedup，nowatthepadre，nowathimself;and，allthrough，thedelightfulsenseofcolourandwarmth，asortofglamouroveralltheevening;
andthelingeringpressureofLeila’shandwhenhesaidgood—byeandtheywentaway，fortheyallwenttogether。Herememberedtalkingagreatdealtothepadreinthecab，aboutthepublicschooltheyhadbothbeenat，andthinking:’It’sagoodpadre——this！’HerememberedhowtheirtaxitookthemtoanoldSquarewhichhedidnotknow，wherethegardentreeslookeddenselyblackinthestarshine。Herememberedthatamanoutsidethehousehadengagedthepadreinearnesttalk，whilethetallchildandhimselfstoodintheopendoorway，wherethehallbeyondwasdark。Veryexactlyherememberedthelittleconversationwhichthentookplacebetweenthem，whiletheywaitedforherfather。
\"Isitveryhorridinthetrenches，CaptainFort？\"
\"Yes，MissPierson;itisveryhorrid，asarule。\"
\"Isitdangerousallthetime？\"
\"Prettywell。\"
\"Doofficersrunmorerisksthanthemen？\"
\"Notunlessthere’sanattack。\"
\"Arethereattacksveryoften？\"
Ithadseemedtohimsostrangelyprimitivealittlecatechism，thathehadsmiled。And，thoughitwassodark，shehadseenthatsmile，forherfacewentproudandcloseallofasudden。Hehadcursedhimself，andsaidgently:
\"Haveyouabrotheroutthere？\"
Sheshookherhead。
\"Butsomeone？\"
\"Yes。\"
Someone！Hehadheardthatanswerwithalittleshock。Thischild——
