Inthemorningshegotupfromhersleeplessbed，seemedtoeatherbreakfast，andwentofftoherhospital。Thereshewashedupplatesanddishes，withastonyface，darkundertheeyes。
ThenewscametoPiersoninaletterfromThirza，receivedatlunch—
time。Hereaditwithadreadfulaching。Poor，poorlittleNollie！
Whatanawfultroubleforher！Andhe，too，wentabouthisworkwiththenightmarethoughtthathehadtobreakthenewstoherthatevening。Neverhadhefeltmorelonely，moredreadfullyinwantofthemotherofhischildren。Shewouldhaveknownhowtosoothe，howtocomfort。Onherheartthechildcouldhavesobbedawaygrief。
Andallthathour，fromseventoeight，whenhewasusuallyinreadinesstofulfilthefunctionsofGod’ssubstitutetohisparishioners，hespentinprayerofhisown，forguidancehowtoinflictandhealthisblow。When，atlast，Noelcame，heopened。
thedoortoherhimself，and，puttingbackthehairfromherforehead，said:\"Comeinhereamoment，mydarling！\"Noelfollowedhimintothestudy，andsatdown。\"Iknowalready，Daddy。\"Piersonwasmoredismayedbythisstoicismthanhewouldhavebeenbyanynaturaloutburst。Hestood，timidlystrokingherhair，murmuringtoherwhathehadsaidtoGratian，andtosomanyothersinthesedays:
\"Thereisnodeath;lookforwardtoseeinghimagain;Godismerciful\"Andhemarvelledatthecalmnessofthatpaleface——soyoung。
\"Youareverybrave，mychild！\"hesaid。
\"There’snothingelsetobe，isthere？\"
\"Isn’tthereanythingIcandoforyou，Nollie？\"
\"No，Daddy。\"
\"Whendidyouseeit？\"
\"Lastnight。\"Shehadalreadyknownfortwenty—fourhourswithouttellinghim！
\"Haveyouprayed，mydarling？\"
\"No。\"
\"Try，Nollie！\"
\"No。\"
\"Ah，try！\"
\"Itwouldberidiculous，Daddy;youdon’tknow。\"
Grievouslyupsetandbewildered，Piersonmovedawayfromher，andsaid:
\"Youlookdreadfullytired。Wouldyoulikeahotbath，andyourdinnerinbed？\"
\"I’dlikesometea;that’sall。\"Andshewentout。
Whenhehadseenthattheteahadgoneuptoher，hetoowentout;
and，movedbyalongingforwoman’shelp，tookacabtoLeila’sflat。
III
1
OnleavingtheconcertLeilaandJimmyForthadsecuredataxi;avehiclewhich，atnight，inwartime，hascertainadvantagesforthosewhodesiretobecomebetteracquainted。Vibration，sufficientnoise，darkness，areguaranteed;andallthatislackingforthefurtheranceofemotionisthescentofhoneysuckleandroses，orevenofthewhitefloweringcreeperwhichonthestoepatHighConstantiahadsmelledsomuchsweeterthanpetrol。
WhenLeilafoundherselfwithFortinthatlonelinesstowhichshehadbeenlookingforward，shewasovercomebyanaccessofnervoussilence。Shehadbeenpassingthroughastrangetimeforweekspast。
Everynightsheexaminedhersensationswithoutquiteunderstandingthemasyet。Whenawomancomestoherage，theworld—forceisliabletotakepossession，saying:
\"Youwereyoung，youwerebeautiful，youstillhavebeauty，youarenot，cannotbe，old。Clingtoyouth，clingtobeauty;takeallyoucanget，beforeyourfacegetslinesandyourhairgrey;itisimpossiblethatyouhavebeenlovedforthelasttime。\"
ToseeJimmyFortattheconcert，talkingtoNoel，hadbroughtthisemotiontoahead。Shewasnotofagrudgingnature，andcouldgenuinelyadmireNoel，buttheideathatJimmyFortmightalsoadmiredisturbedhergreatly。Hemustnot;itwasnotfair;hewastooold—
—besides，thegirlhadherboy;andshehadtakencarethatheshouldknowit。So，leaningtowardshim，whileabare—shoulderedyoungladysang，shehadwhispered:
\"Penny？\"
Andhehadwhisperedback:
\"Tellyouafterwards。\"
Thathadcomfortedher。Shewouldmakehimtakeherhome。Itwastimesheshowedherheart。
Andnow，inthecab，resolvedtomakeherfeelingsknown，insuddenshynessshefounditverydifficult。Love，towhichforquitethreeyearsshehadbeenastranger，wascometolifewithinher。Theknowledgewasatoncesosweet，andsodisturbing，thatshesatwithfaceaverted，unabletoturnthepreciousminutestoaccount。Theyarrivedattheflatwithouthavingdonemorethanagreethatthestreetsweredark，andthemoonbright。Shegotoutwithasenseofbewilderment，andsaidratherdesperately:
\"Youmustcomeupandhaveacigarette。It’squiteearly，still。\"
Hewentup。
\"Waitjustaminute，\"saidLeila。
Sittingtherewithhisdrinkandhiscigarette，hestaredatsomesunflowersinabowl——FamilleRose——andwaitedjustten;smilingalittle，recallingthenoseofthefairyprincess，andthedaintywayherlipsshapedthewordsshespoke。Ifshehadnothadthatluckyyoungdevilofasoldierboy，onewouldhavewantedtobucklehershoes，layone’scoatinthemudforher，orwhatevertheydidinfairytales。Onewouldhavewanted——ah！whatwouldonenothavewanted！Hangthatsoldierboy！Leilasaidhewastwenty—two。ByGeorge！howolditmadeamanfeelwhowasrisingforty，andtenderontheoff—fore！Nofairyprincessesforhim！Thenawhiffofperfumecametohisnostrils;and，lookingup，hesawLeilastandingbeforehim，inalonggarmentofdarksilk，whenceherwhitearmspeepedout。
\"Anotherpenny？Doyourememberthesethings，Jimmy？TheMalaywomenusedtoweartheminCapeTown。Youcan’tthinkwhatareliefitistogetoutofmyslave’sdress。Oh！I’msosickofnursing！
Jimmy，Iwanttoliveagainalittle！\"
Thegarmenthadtakenfifteenyearsoffherage，andagardenia，justwherethesilkcrossedonherbreast，seemednowhiterthanherskin。
Hewonderedwhimsicallywhetherithaddroppedtoheroutofthedark！
\"Live？\"hesaid。\"Why！Don’tyoualways？\"
Sheraisedherhandssothatthedarksilkfell，backfromthewholelengthofthosewhitearms。
\"Ihaven’tlivedfortwoyears。Oh，Jimmy！Helpmetolivealittle！Life’ssoshort，now。\"
Hereyesdisturbedhim，strainedandpathetic;thesightofherarms;
thescentoftheflowerdisturbedhim;hefelthischeeksgrowingwarm，andlookeddown。
Sheslippedsuddenlyforwardontoherkneesathisfeet，tookhishand，presseditwithbothofhers，andmurmured:
\"Lovemealittle！Whatelseisthere？Oh！Jimmy，whatelseisthere？\"
Andwiththescentoftheflower，crushedbytheirhands，stirringhissenses，Fortthought:’Ah，whatelseisthere，intheseforsakendays？’
ToJimmyFort，whohadasenseofhumour，andwasinsomesortaphilosopher，thehaphazardwaylifesettledthingsseldomfailedtoseemamusing。ButwhenhewalkedawayfromLeila’shewaspensive。
Shewasagoodsort，aprettycreature，asportswoman，anenchantress;but——shewasdecidedlymature。Andherehewas——
involvedinhelpingherto\"live\";involvedalmostalarmingly，fortherehadbeennomistakingthefactthatshehadreallyfalleninlovewithhim。
Thiswasflatteringandsweet。Timesweresad，andpleasurescarce，but——！Therovinginstinctwhichhadkepthim，fromhisyouthup，rollingabouttheworld，shiedinstinctivelyatbonds，howeverpleasant，thestrengthandthicknessofwhichhecouldnotgauge;or，wasitthatperhapsforthefirsttimeinhislifehehadbeenpeepingintofairylandoflate，andthisaffairwithLeilawasbynomeansfairyland？Hehadanotherreason，moreunconscious，foruneasiness。Hisheart，forallhiswanderings，wassoft，hehadalwaysfounditdifficulttohurtanyone，especiallyanyonewhodidhimthehonourtolovehim。Asortofpresentimentweighedonhimwhilehewalkedthemoonlitstreetsatthismostemptyhour，wheneventhelatetaxishadceasedtorun。Wouldshewanthimtomarryher？Woulditbehisduty，ifshedid？Andthenhefoundhimselfthinkingoftheconcert，andthatgirl’sface，listeningtothetaleshewastellingher。’Deucedqueerworld，’hethought，’thewaythingsgo！Iwonderwhatshewouldthinkofus，ifsheknew——andthatgoodpadre！Phew！’
Hemadesuchveryslowprogress，forfearofgivingwayinhisleg，andhavingtospendthenightonadoor—step，thathehadplentyoftimeforrumination;butsinceitbroughthimnoconfidencewhatever，hebeganatlasttofeel:’Well;itmightbealotworse。Takethegoodsthegodssendyouanddon’tfuss！’AndsuddenlyherememberedwithextremevividnessthatnightonthestoepatHighConstantia，andthoughtwithdismay:’Icouldhaveplungedinoverheadandearsthen;andnow——Ican’t！That’slifeallover！PoorLeila！Memiserum，too，perhaps——whoknows！’
IV
WhenLeilaopenedherdoortoEdwardPierson，hereyesweresmiling，andherlipsweresoft。Sheseemedtosmileandbesoftallover，andshetookbothhishands。Everythingwasapleasuretoherthatday，eventhesightofthissadface。Shewasinloveandwaslovedagain;hadapresentandafutureoncemore，notonlyherownfullpast;andshemustfinishwithEdwardinhalfanhour，forJimmywascoming。Shesatdownonthedivan，tookhishandinasisterlyway，andsaid:
\"Tellme，Edward;Icanseeyou’reintrouble。Whatisit？\"
\"Noel。Theboyshewasfondofhasbeenkilled。\"
Shedroppedhishand。
\"Oh，no！Poorchild！It’stoocruel！\"Tearsstartedupinhergreyeyes，andshetouchedthemwithatinyhandkerchief。\"Poor，poorlittleNoel！Wassheveryfondofhim？\"
\"Averysudden，shortengagement;butI’mafraidshetakesitdesperatelytoheart。Idon’tknowhowtocomforther;onlyawomancould。Icametoaskyou:Doyouthinksheoughttogoonwithherwork？Whatdoyouthink，Leila？Ifeellost！\"
Leila，gazingathim，thought:’Lost？Yes，youlooklost，mypoorEdward！’
\"Ishouldlethergoon，\"shesaid:\"ithelps;it’stheonlythingthatdoeshelp。I’llseeifIcangetthemtolethercomeintothewards。Sheoughttobeintouchwithsufferingandthemen;thatkitchenworkwilltryherawfullyjustnow:Washeveryyoung？\"
\"Yes。Theywantedtogetmarried。Iwasopposedtoit。\"
Leila’slipcurledeversolittle。’Youwouldbe！’shethought。
\"Icouldn’tbeartothinkofNolliegivingherselfhastily，likethat;theyhadonlyknowneachotherthreeweeks。Itwasveryhardforme，Leila。Andthensuddenlyhewassenttothefront。\"
ResentmentwelledupinLeila。Thekill—Joys！Asiflifedidn’tkilljoyfastenough！Hercousin’sfaceatthatmomentwasalmostabhorrenttoher，itsgentleperplexedgoodnessdarkenedandwarpedbythatmonkishlook。Sheturnedaway，glancedattheclockoverthehearth，andthought:’Yes，andhewouldstopJimmyandme！Hewouldsay:\"Oh，no！dearLeila——youmustn’tlove——it’ssin！\"HowIhatethatword！’
\"Ithinkthemostdreadfulthinginlife，\"shesaidabruptly，\"isthewaypeoplesuppresstheirnaturalinstincts;whattheysuppressinthemselvestheymakeotherpeoplesuppresstoo，iftheycan;andthat’sthecauseofhalfthemiseryinthisworld。\"
Thenatthesurpriseonhisfaceatthislittleoutburst，whosecausehecouldnotknow，sheaddedhastily:\"IhopeNoelwillgetoveritquickly，andfindsomeoneelse。\"
\"Yes。Iftheyhadbeenmarried——howmuchworseitwouldhavebeen。
ThankGod，theyweren’t！\"
\"Idon’tknow。Theywouldhavehadanhourofbliss。Evenanhourofblissisworthsomethinginthesedays。\"
\"Tothosewhoonlybelieveinthis’life——perhaps。\"
’Tenminutesmore！’shethought:’Oh，whydoesn’thego？’Butatthatverymomenthegotup，andinstantlyherheartwentouttohimagain。
\"I’msosorry，Edward。IfIcanhelpinanyway——I’lltrymybestwithNoelto—morrow;anddocometomewheneveryoufeelinclined。\"
Shetookhishandinhers;afraidthathewouldsitdownagain，sheyetcouldnothelpasoftglanceintohiseyes，andalittlerushofpityingwarmthinthepressureofherhand。
Piersonsmiled;thesmilewhichalwaysmadehersorryforhim。
\"Good—bye，Leila;you’reverygoodandkindtome。Good—bye。\"
Herbosomswelledwithreliefandcompassion;and——shelethimout。
Runningupstairsagainshethought:’I’vejusttime。WhatshallI
puton？PoorEdward，poorNoel！WhatcolourdoesJimmylike？Oh！
Whydidn’tIkeephimthosetenyearsago——whatutterwaste！’And，feverishlyadorningherself，shecamebacktothewindow，andstoodthereinthedarktowatch，whilesomejasminewhichgrewbelowsentupitsscenttoher。’WouldImarryhim？’shethought，’ifheaskedme？Buthewon’taskme——whyshouldhenow？Besides，Icouldn’tbearhimtofeelIwantedpositionormoneyfromhim。Ionlywantlove——love——love！’Thesilentrepetitionofthatwordgaveherawonderfulsenseofsolidityandcomfort。Solongassheonlywantedlove，surelyhewouldgiveit。
Atallfigureturneddownpastthechurch，comingtowardsher。Itwashe！Andsuddenlyshebethoughtherself。Shewenttothelittleblackpiano，satdown，andbegantosingthesongshehadsungtohimtenyearsago:\"IfIcouldbethefallingdewandfallontheeallday！\"Shedidnotevenlookroundwhenhecamein，butcontinuedtocroonoutthewords，consciousofhimjustbehindhershoulderinthedark。Butwhenshehadfinished，shegotupandthrewherarmsroundhim，strainedhimtoher，andburstintotearsonhisshoulder;
thinkingofNoelandthatdeadboy，thinkingofthemillionsofotherboys，thinkingofherownhappiness，thinkingofthosetenyearswasted，ofhowshortwaslife，andlove;thinking——hardlyknowingwhatshethought！AndJimmyFort，verymovedbythisemotionwhichheonlyhalfunderstood，pressedhertightlyinhisarms，andkissedherwetcheeksandherneck，paleandwarminthedarkness。
V
1
Noelwentonwithherworkforamonth，andthen，onemorning，faintedoverapileofdishes。Thenoiseattractedattention，andMrs。Lynchwassummoned。
ThesightofherlyingtheresodeadlywhitetaxedLeila’snervesseverely。Butthegirlrevivedquickly，andacabwassentfor。
Leilawentwithher，andtoldthedrivertostopatCamelotMansions。
Whytakeherhomeinthisstate，whynotsavethejolting，andletherrecoverproperly？Theywentupstairsarminarm。Leilamadeherliedownonthedivan，andputahot—waterbottletoherfeet。Noelwasstillsopassiveandpalethateventospeaktoherseemedacruelty。And，goingtoherlittlesideboard，LeilastealthilyextractedapintbottleofsomechampagnewhichJimmyForthadsentin，andtookitwithtwoglassesandacorkscrewintoherbedroom。
Shedrankalittleherself，andcameoutbearingaglasstothegirl。
Noelshookherhead，andhereyesseemedtosay:\"DoyoureallythinkI’msoeasilymended？\"ButLeilahadbeenthroughtoomuchinhertimetodespiseearthlyremedies，andsheheldittothegirl’slipsuntilshedrank。Itwasexcellentchampagne，and，sinceNoelhadneveryettouchedalcohol，hadaninstantaneouseffect。Hereyesbrightened;littleredspotscameupinhercheeks。Andsuddenlysherolledoverandburiedherfacedeepinacushion。Withhershorthair，shelookedsolikeachildlyingthere，thatLeilakneltdown，strokingherhead，andsaying:\"There，there;mylove！There，there！\"
Atlastthegirlraisedherself;nowthatthepallid，masklikedespairofthelastmonthwasbroken，sheseemedonfire，andherfacehadawildlook。She，withdrewherselffromLeila’stouch，and，crossingherarmstightlyacrossherchest，said:
\"Ican’tbearit;Ican’tsleep。Iwanthimback;Ihatelife——
Ihatetheworld。Wehadn’tdoneanything——onlyjustlovedeachother。Godlikespunishing;justbecausewelovedeachother;wehadonlyonedaytoloveeachother——onlyoneday——onlyone！\"
Leilacouldseethelongwhitethroatabovethoserigidarmsstrainingandswallowing;itgaveherachokyfeelingtowatchit。
Thevoice，uncannilydaintyforallthewildnessofthewordsandface，wenton:
\"Iwon’t——Idon’twanttolive。Ifthere’sanotherlife，Ishallgotohim。Andifthereisn’t——it’sjustsleep。\"
Leilaputoutherhandtowardofthesewildwanderings。Likemostwomenwholivesimplythelifeoftheirsensesandemotions，shewasorthodox;orratherneverspeculatedonsuchthings。
\"Tellmeaboutyourselfandhim，\"shesaid。
Noelfastenedhergreateyesonhercousin。\"Welovedeachother;
andchildrenareborn，aren’tthey，afteryou’veloved？Butminewon’tbe！\"Fromthelookonherfaceratherthanfromherwords，thefullrealityofhermeaningcametoLeila，vanished，cameagain。
Nonsense！But——whatanawfulthing，iftrue！Thatwhichhadalwaysseemedtohersuchanexaggeratedoccurrenceinthecommonwalksoflife——why！now，itwasatragedy！Instinctivelysheraisedherselfandputherarmsroundthegirl。
\"Mypoordear！\"shesaid;\"you’refancyingthings！\"
ThecolourhadfadedoutofNoel’sface，and，withherheadthrownbackandhereyelidshalf—closed，shelookedlikeascornfulyoungghost。
\"Ifitis——Ishan’tlive。Idon’tmeanto——it’seasytodie。
Idon’tmeanDaddytoknow。\"
\"Oh！mydear，mydear！\"wasallLeilacouldstammer。
\"Wasitwrong，Leila？\"
\"Wrong？Idon’tknow——wrong？Ifitreallyisso——itwas——
unfortunate。Butsurely，surely——you’remistaken？\"
Noelshookherhead。\"Ididitsothatweshouldbelongtoeachother。Nothingcouldhavetakenhimfromme。\"
Leilacaughtatthegirl’swords。
\"Then，mydear——hehasn’tquitegonefromyou，yousee？\"
Noel’slipsformeda\"No\"whichwasinaudible。\"ButDaddy！\"shewhispered。
Edward’sfacecamebeforeLeilasovividlythatshecouldhardlyseethegirlforthetorturedshapeofit。Thenthehedonistinherrevoltedagainstthatasceticvision。Herworldlyjudgmentcondemnedanddeploredthiscalamity，herinstinctcouldnothelpapplaudingthathouroflifeandlove，snatchedoutofthejawsofdeath。\"Needheeverknow？\"shesaid。
\"IcouldneverlietoDaddy。Butitdoesn’tmatter。Whyshouldonegoonliving，whenlifeisrotten？\"
Outsidethesunwasshiningbrightly，thoughitwaslateOctober。
Leilagotupfromherknees。Shestoodatthewindowthinkinghard。
\"Mydear，\"shesaidatlast，\"youmustn’tgetmorbid。Lookatme！
I’vehadtwohusbands，and——and——well，aprettystormyupanddowntimeofit;andIdaresayI’vegotlotsoftroublebeforeme。ButI’mnotgoingtocavein。Normustyou。ThePiersonshaveplentyofpluck;youmustn’tbeatraitortoyourblood。That’sthelastthing。Yourboywouldhavetoldyoutostickit。Theseareyour’trenches，’andyou’renotgoingtobedowned，areyou？\"
Aftershehadspokentherewasalongsilence，beforeNoelsaid:
\"Givemeacigarette，Leila。\"
Leilaproducedthelittleflatcaseshecarried。
\"That’sbrave，\"shesaid。\"Nothing’sincurableatyourage。Onlyonething’sincurable——gettingold。\"
Noellaughed。\"That’scurabletoo，isn’tit？\"
\"Notwithoutsurrender。\"
Againtherewasasilence，whilethebluefumefromtwocigarettesfast—smoked，rosetowardsthelowceiling。ThenNoelgotupfromthedivan，andwentovertothepiano。Shewasstillinherhospitaldressoflilac—colouredlinen，andwhileshestoodtheretouchingthekeys，playingachordnow，andthen，Leila’sheartfelthollowfromcompassion;shewassohappyherselfjustnow，andthischildsoverywretched！
\"Playtome，\"shesaid;\"no——don’t;I’llplaytoyou。\"Andsittingdown，shebegantoplayandsingalittleFrenchsong，whosefirstlineran:\"Sionestjolie，joliecommevous。\"Itwassoft，gay，charming。Ifthegirlcried，somuchthebetter。ButNoeldidnotcry。Sheseemedsuddenlytohaverecoveredallherself—possession。
Shespokecalmly，answeredLeila’squestionswithoutemotion，andsaidshewouldgohome。Leilawentoutwithher，andwalkedsomewayinthedirectionofherhome;distressed，butfranklyataloss。AtthebottomofPortlandPlaceNoelstoppedandsaid:\"I’mquiteallrightnow，Leila;thankyouawfully。Ishalljustgohomeandliedown。AndIshallcometo—morrow，thesameasusual。Goodbye！\"
Leilacouldonlygraspthegirl’shand，andsay:\"Mydear，that’ssplendid。There’smanyaslip——besides，it’swar—time。\"
Withthatsaying，enigmaticeventoherself，shewatchedthegirlmovingslowlyaway;andturnedbackherselftowardsherhospital，withadisturbedandcompassionateheart。
2
ButNoeldidnotgoeast;shewalkeddownRegentStreet。Shehadreceivedacertainmeasureofcomfort，beensteadiedbyherexperiencedcousin’svitality，andthenewthoughtssuggestedbythosewords:\"Hehasn’tquitegonefromyou，hashe？\"\"Besides，it’swar—time。\"Leilahadspokenfreely，too，andthephysicalignoranceinwhichthegirlhadbeengropingtheselastweekswasnowremoved。
Likemostproudnatures，shedidnotnaturallythinkmuchabouttheopinionofotherpeople;besides，sheknewnothingoftheworld，itsfeelingsandjudgments。Hernightmarewasthethoughtofherfather’shorrorandgrief。Shetriedtolessenthatnightmarebyrememberinghisoppositiontohermarriage，andtheresentmentshehadfelt。Hehadneverrealised，neverunderstood，howsheandCyrilloved。Now，ifshewerereallygoingtohaveachild，itwouldbeCyril’s——Cyril’sson——Cyriloveragain。Theinstinctstrongerthanreason，refinement，tradition，upbringing，whichhadpushedheroninsuchhastetomakesureofunion——theirrepressiblepulseoflifefacedwithannihilation——seemedtorevivewithinher，andmakeherterriblesecretalmostprecious。Shehadreadabout\"Warbabies\"inthepapers，readwithadullcuriosity;butnowtheatmosphere，asitwere，ofthosewritingswasilluminedforher。Thesebabieswerewrong，werea\"problem，\"andyet，behindallthat，sheseemednowtoknowthatpeopleweregladofthem;theymadeup，theyfilledthegaps。Perhaps，whenshehadone，shewouldbeproud，secretlyproud，inspiteofeveryone，inspiteofherfather！TheyhadtriedtokillCyril——Godandeveryone;buttheyhadn’tbeenable，hewasalivewithinher！Aglowcameintoherface，walkingamongthebusyshoppingcrowd，andpeopleturnedtolookather;shehadthatappearanceofseeingnoone，nothing，whichisstrangeandattractivetothosewhohaveamomenttosparefromcontemplationoftheirownaffairs。Fullytwohoursshewanderedthus，beforegoingin，andonlylostthatexaltedfeelingwhen，inherownlittleroom，shehadtakenuphisphotograph，andwassittingonherbedgazingatit。
Shehadabadbreakdownthen。Lockedinthere，shelayonherbed，crying，dreadfullylonely，tillshefellasleepexhausted，withthetear—stainedphotographclutchedinhertwitchingfingers。Shewokewithastart。Itwasdark，andsomeonewasknockingonherdoor。
\"MissNoel！\"
Childishperversitykepthersilent。Whycouldn’ttheyleaveheralone？Theywouldleaveheraloneiftheyknew。Thensheheardanotherkindofknocking，andherfather’svoice:
\"Nollie！Nollie！\"
Shescrambledup，andopened。Helookedscared，andherheartsmoteher。
\"It’sallright，Daddy;Iwasasleep。\"
\"Mydear，I’msorry，butdinner’sready。\"
\"Idon’twantanydinner;IthinkI’llgotobed。\"
Thefrownbetweenhisbrowsdeepened。
\"Youshouldn’tlockyourdoor，Nollie:Iwasquitefrightened。I
wentroundtothehospitaltobringyouhome，andtheytoldmeaboutyourfainting。Iwantyoutoseeadoctor。\"
Noelshookherheadvigorously。\"Oh，no！It’snothing！\"
\"Nothing？Tofaintlikethat？Come，mychild。Topleaseme。\"Hetookherfaceinhishands。Noelshrankaway。
\"No，Daddy。Iwon’tseeadoctor。Extravaganceinwartime！I
won’t。It’snogoodtryingtomakeme。I’llcomedownifyoulike;
Ishallbeallrightto—morrow。\"
WiththisPiersonhadtobecontent;but，oftenthatevening，shesawhimlookingatheranxiously。Andwhenshewentup，hecameoutofhisstudy，followedtoherroom，andinsistedonlightingherfire。
Kissingheratthedoor，hesaidveryquietly:
\"IwishIcouldbeamothertoyou，mychild！\"
ForamomentitflashedthroughNoel:’Heknows！’then，bythepuzzledlookonhisface，sheknewthathedidnot。Ifonlyhedidknow;whataweightitwouldbeoffhermind！Butsheansweredquietlytoo;\"Goodnight，Daddydear！\"kissedhim，andshutthedoor。
Shesatdownbeforethelittlenewfire，andspreadherhandsouttoit;allwassocoldandwintryinherheart。Andthefirelightflickeredonherface，whereshadowslaythickunderhereyes，foralltheroundnessofhercheeks，andonherslimpalehands，andthesupplegraceofheryoungbody。Andoutinthenight，cloudsracedoverthemoon，whichhadcomefulloncemore。
