\"Willyouallowmetospeaktosomeofthemenfirst,sir?\"
\"Oh,certainly。Doanythingyoulike。Thereareyourmen。\"
AsBarrymovedalongthelineofmendrawnupontheplatform,hewasfollowedbyarisingmurmurofadmiration,until,ashereachedagroupofofficersattheend,alittleTommy,anEnglishcockney,liftinghighhisrifle,sangout:
\"Naowthen,lads,’ere’stoourO。D,\"addingafterthecheers,\"’e’sabitovolraa—ght,’eis!\"
\"Men,\"saidBarry,\"Ithankyouforyourcheers,butIthankyoumoreforyoursplendidbehaviournightbeforelast。Itwasbeyondpraise。Youcouldn’tsaveallyourcomrades,butyouwouldwillinglyhavegivenyourlivestosavethem。That’sthetruespiritoftheEmpire。It’sthespiritofHumanity。It’sthespiritofGod。IfIwereacombatantofficer——\"
\"You’dbeagood’un,sir,\"criedavoice。
\"IfIwereacombatantofficer,Ishouldliketoleadmenlikeyouintoaction。\"
\"We’dfollowyouto’ell,sir,\"shoutedthelittlecockney。
\"Oh,Ihopenot,\"repliedBarry。\"I’mnotgoingthatway。MayI
say,inwishingyoueverygoodluck,thatyouareacredittoyourcountry,andIcansaynothinghigher。Iwishtothanktheofficerswhososplendidlydidtheirdutyandgavesuchvaluableservice。Goodlucktoyou,boys,andgivemylovetoallathome。\"
Againthemenbrokeintocheers,andBarry,shakinghandswiththeofficers,turnedawaytowardthecar。Ashewasenteringthecar,SergeantMatthewscameovertohim。
\"Iwanttothankyou,sir,forgettingmefreeoftheR。A。M。C。
upthere。Ifeelratherbad,butsincemywifeiswaitingtomeetmeinLondon,Iwasanxioustogetthrough。\"
\"Allright,sergeant,\"repliedBarry。\"I’llgetyoutoahospitalinLondon,whenwearrive。Youarenotfeelingtoobadly,Ihope。\"
\"Alittleshookup,sir,\"saidthesergeant。
AttheR。A。M。C。hospitalabitterdisappointmentawaitedhim。
HefoundthattheV。A。D。haddepartedforEngland,butjustwherenooneseemedtoknow。Inherlastlettertohim,receivedbeforethelasttourinthetrenches,shehadmentionedthepossibilityofavisittoLondon,andhadpromisedhimfurtherinformationbeforeherdeparture,butnofurtherwordhadhereceived。
HisinquiryatEtapleswasequallyunproductiveofresult。PaulaandherfatherhadalsogonetoEngland。TheyhadtakentheV。A。D。withthem,andtheiraddresswasunknown。ThematronofthehospitalbelievedthattheyhadplannedamotortriptoScotland,fortheyhadcarriedCaptainNeilFraseroffwiththem,andwereplanningavisittohishome。Theyexpectedtoreturninaboutthreeweeks。
Bythebitternessofhisdisappointment,Barryrealisedhowgreatlyhehadcountedonthismeetingwithhisfriends。WereitnotforthehopeofbeingabletodiscovertheminEngland,hewouldhaveturnedbackuptheline,thereandthen,andfoundamongtheonlyfriendshehadonthissideoftheoceanrelieffromtheintolerableweightoflonelinessthatwasbearinghimdown。
Hewalkedouttothecemetery,andstoodbesidehisfather’sgrave。
Thereforthefirsttimeitcameoverhimthathenceforthhemustgoallthewayofhislifewithoutthesightofthatface,withoutthetouchofthathandonhisshoulder,withoutthecheerofthatvoice。Infloodshissenseoflossswepthissoul。Ittookallhismanhoodtorefrainfromthrowinghimselfproneuponthelittlemoundandyieldingtotheagonythatfloodedhissoul,andthatwroughtinhisheartphysicalpain。Byaresoluteactofwill,heheldhimselferect。Whileheblamedanddespisedhimselfforhisweakness,hewasunabletoshakeitoff。Hedidnotknowthathismentalandemotionalstatewasinlargemeasureaphysicalreactionfromtheprolongedperiodofexhaustingstrain,histrebletourinthetrenches,withitsunrelievedsenseofimpendingdestruction,thatitsendlessprocessionofbroken,tornbodies,withitsnightsofsleeplessactivity,withitseternalstruggleagainstdepression,consequentuponthelossofhiscomrades,itseternalstrivingaftercheerinessandmorethanalltheshockofthetrainwreck,withitsscenesofhorror;allthishadcombinedtoreducehisphysicalpowersofresistancetothepointofutterexhaustion。
Ashestoodthereinthatcemeterywithitsrowsofcrosses,silentlyeloquentofheroismandofsacrifice,thespiritoftheplaceseemedtobreatheintohimnewlife。Ashiseyesfelluponthecrossbearinghisfather’sname,heseemedtoseeagainthaterectandgallantfigure,instinctwithlifeandcourage。Therecametohimthememoryofascenehehadneverforgotten。Againhewaswithhisfatherinthelittlehomecottage。Howdearithadbeentohimthen!Howdeartohim,today!Oncemorehefeltthestronggripofhisfather’shandandheardhisfather’svoice:
\"Goodnight,boy。Wedon’tknowwhatisbeforeus,defeat,loss,suffering,thatpartisnotinourhandsaltogether,buttheshameofthequitterneverneedandnevershallbeours。\"
Unconsciouslyasifhewereinthepresenceofasuperiorofficer,heliftedhishandinsalute,andwithasenseofrenewalofhisvitalenergieshereturnedtotheboat。
DuringthecrossinghismindwaschieflyoccupiedwiththeproblemofdiscoveringthewhereaboutsoftheV。A。D。orhisAmericanfriends。HehadneverlearnedherLondonaddress,ifindeedshehadone。Herememberedthatshehadtoldhimthatherhomehadbeenturnedintoahospital。Hehadsomeslighthopethathemightbeabletotraceherbytheaidofheruncle。
ArrivedinLondon,hisfirstdutywastoseeSergeantMatthews,whoseinjuriesinthewreckwereapparentlymoreseriousthanatfirstsupposed,safelydisposedinahospitalambulance。ThereuponheproceededtotheHotelCecil,andsethimselfseriouslytothesolutionofhisproblem。Hewastoowearyforclearthinkingandastheresultoflong,confusedandveryvexingcogitation,heresolveduponalettertoCommanderHowardVincent,R。N。R。This,aftermuchlabour,hesucceededinaccomplishing。Thereafter,muchtoowearyforfood,heproceededtohisroom,wherehegavehimselfuptotheunimaginableluxuryofabathinacleantub,andwithanunstintedsupplyofcleantowels,afterwhichriotousindulgence,hebetookhimselftobed。Ashelaystretchedbetweenthesmoothcleansheets,hefounditimpossibletorecallastateofexistencewhencleansheetshadbeenanightlyexperience。Thechiefregretofthesesemi—unconsciousmomentsprecedingslumberwasthatsleepwouldrobhimofthisdelicioussenseofphysicalcleannessandwell—being。
Hewaswakenedbyaknockathisdoor,followedbyahesitatingapologyforintrusion。Rejoicingintheluxuryofhissurroundings,andinthealtogethersatisfyingdiscoverythathemightsleepagain,heturnedoverandoncemorewaslostinprofoundslumber。
Asecondtimehewasarousedbyamildbutsomewhatanxiousinquiryastohiswelfare。
\"Iwantnothing,onlyalittlemoresleep,\"andagainluxuriatingforafewmomentsinhiscleansheetsandhispeacefulenvironment,heresignedhimselftosleep,towakenwithacomfortablesenseofpleasantweariness,whichgraduallypassedintoasomewhatacutesenseofhunger。
Hedecided,afterdueconsideration,thathewouldplumbthedepthsofbliss,unmeasuredandunknown,andhavebreakfastinbed。HewenttothewindowandlookedoutuponthemurkylightofaLondonday。Hedecidedthatitwasstillearlymorning,andrangforthewaiter。Hewasinformedbythatfunctionarythatbreakfastwasimpossible,butthatifhedesiredhecouldbesuppliedwithanearlydinner。
\"Dinner!\"exclaimedBarry。
Helookedathiswatch,butfoundthathehadneglectedtowindit,andthatconsequentlyithadstopped。
\"Whattimedoyoumakeit,waiter?\"
\"Halfaftersix,sir。\"
Hedecidedthathewouldrisefordinner,’phonedforapaperandhismail,andlaybackbetweenthesheetsoncemore,strivingtorecapturethatrapturoussenseofwelfarethathadenwrappedhimthenightbefore。Luxuriatinginthisdelightsomeexercise,heglancedlazilyattheheadingofhispaper,andthencried,asthepaperboywasleavingtheroom,\"Hello!here,boy!whatdayisthis?\"
\"Friday,sir,\"saidtheboy,gazingathiminastonishment。
\"Friday?Areyousure?\"
\"Yes,sir,Friday,sir。Whatdoesthepapersay,sir?\"
\"Oh,yes,ofcourse。Allright。\"
HehadgonetobedonWednesdaynight。HeknewthatbecauseherememberedthedateofhislettertoCommanderHowardVincent,R。N。R。Hemadetheastoundingdiscoverythathehadsleptjustforty—fourhours。Thenhemadeaseconddiscoveryandthatwasthatofhispreciouseightdays’leave,threewerealreadygone。
Afterhehaddinedheinquiredatthedeskforhismail,andsearchedthroughthetelegrams,buttherewasnothingforhim。
Thenhebetookhimselftothestreets,awarethatthespectreoflonelinesswashardonhistrail,andswiftlycatchingupwithhim。
Londonwasroaringaroundhiminthedark,likeajunglefullofwildbeasts,ofwhoseshapeshecouldcatchnowandthenhorridglimpses。Amongallthemillionsinthecity,heknewofnolivingsoultowhomhecouldgoforcompanionship,norwasthereanythinginformofamusementthatspeciallyinvitedhim。
TherewasGrandOpera,ofcourse,butfromitsassociationswithhisfatherheknewthatthatwouldbringhimonlyacutemisery。
Gladlywouldhehavegonetothehospitals,buttheywouldbeshutagainsthimatthishour。Heboughtaneveningpaper,andunderashadedlampstudiedtheamusementcolumns。SomeoftheRevuesheknewtobesimplytiresome,othersdisgusting。Noneofthemappealedtohim。Aimlesslyhewanderedalongthestreets,heedlessofhisdirection,consciousnowandthenofanadditionalpangofwretchednessashecaughtaglimpsenowandthenatatheatredoorofyoungofficerspassinginwithsweetfacedgirlsontheirarms,Atlengthindesperationhefollowedonesuchpair,andfoundhimselflisteningtoCinderella。Itslightanddelicatefancy,itssweetpathos,itsgentlehumourluredhimtemporarilyfromhismisery,butoftentherecamebackuponhimthebittermemoryofhiscomradesintheirhorridenvironmentoffilth,dangerandwretchedness。
Hefoundsomecompensationinthethoughtthattheseofficersbesidehimwerelikehimselfonleave,andwhileheenviedthem,hedidnotgrudgethemtheirdelightintheplay,andtheirobviouslygreaterdelightintheirlovelycompanionsbesidethem,butthisagainwasneutralisedbythebitterrecollectionofhisownhardfatewhichdeniedhimalikejoy。
Aftertheplayhestoodintheentrancehall,observingthecrowd,indulginghissenseofill—usageatthehandsoffateashesawtheofficerslingeringwithmanyunnecessarytouchesoverthecloakingoftheirfairpartners,andashecaughttheansweringglancesandsmilesthatrewardedtheirattentions。
Hiseyesfollowedthemanoeuvringsofthepaintedladiesastheyhoveredaboutthedoors,boldlybusywiththeirprofession。HeunderstoodasneverbeforethenatureoftheirlureandtheoverpoweringsubtletyofthetemptationcastbythemoverthelonelysoldierinLondon。
Closeathissideheheardavoice:
\"Howdoyoulikeit,boy?Notbad,eh?\"
\"Awfullyjolly,dad。It’sperfectlyfineofyou。\"
Heturnedandsawagrey—hairedgentleman,withuprightsoldierlyfigure,andwalkingwithhim,arminarm,ayoungofficer,evidentlyhisson。Hefollowedthemslowlytothedoor,andeagertoshareifhemightthejoyoftheircomradeship,helistenedtotheirtalk。Thenastheydisappearedintothedarkness,sickatheart,hepassedoutofthedoor,stoodamomenttogethisbearings,andsaunteredbeyondtheradiusofthesubduedlightabouttheentrance,intothedarknessfurtheron。
Hehadgonebutafewpaces,andwasstandingbeneathashadedcornerlight,meditatingthecrossingoftheroaringstreet,whenheheardbehindhimaneagervoicecrying,\"CaptainDunbar!CaptainDunbar!\"
Swiftlyheturned,andsawinthedimlightadaintyfigure,operacoatflowingawayfromgleamingarmsandshoulders,afacewithitshaloofgoldbrownhair,withsoftbrowneyesashineandeagerpartedlips,avisionoffluttering,bewilderinglovelinessbearingdownuponhimwithoutstretchedhands。
\"What,\"hegasped,\"you!Oh,youdarling!\"
Hereachedforher,gatheredherinhisarms,drewhertowardhim,andbeforeeitherheorshewasawareofwhatheintendedtodo,kissedherpartinglips。
\"Oh,howdareyou!\"shecried,aghast,pushinghimbackfromher,herfaceinaredflame。\"Oh,I’msoglad。IwasafraidIshouldloseyou。\"
Barry,appalledathisowntemerity,hiseyestakinginthesweetbeautyofherlovelyface,stoodsilent,trembling。
\"Well,aren’tyougoingtotellmeyouaregladtoseeme?\"shecried,smilingupathimsaucily。
\"Phyllis,\"hemurmured,movingtowardher。
\"Stop,\"shesaid,puttingherhandsoutbeforeher,asiftoholdhimoff。\"Rememberwhereyouare。Ioughttobeveryangry,indeed。\"
Shedrewhimtowardadarkwall。
\"Butyouaren’tangry,Phyllis。IfyouonlyknewhowIhavewantedyouinthisawfulplace。Oh,Ihavewantedyou。\"
Shesawthathewaswhiteandstilltrembling。
\"Haveyou,Barry?\"sheasked,gently。\"Oh,youpoorboy。Iknowyouhavebeenthroughhorriblethings。No,Barry,don’t。Youawfulman,\"forhishandsweremovingtowardheragain。\"Youmustrememberwhereyouare。Lookatallthesepeoplestaringatus。\"
\"People,\"hesaid,asifinadaze。\"Whatdifferencedotheymake?
Oh,Phyllis,youaresowonderfullylovely。Ican’tbelieveit’syou,butitis,itis!Iknowyoureyes。Areyougladtoseeme?\"
heaskedshyly,hishungryeyesuponherface。
\"Oh,Barry,\"shewhispered,thewarmflushrisingagaininhercheeks,\"can’tyousee?Can’tyousee?ButwhatamIthinkingabout?Comeandseemamma,andthere’sanotherdearfriendandadmirerofyourswithher。\"
\"Who?NotPaula?\"
\"No,notPaula,\"shesaid,withasubtlechangeinhervoice。
\"Comeandsee!\"
Shetookhisarmandbroughthimbacktoamotorstandingatthetheatreentrance。
\"Oh,mamma,Ihavehadsucharace,\"shecriedexcitedly,\"andI
havecapturedhim。Barry,mymother。\"
Barrytooktheofferedhand,andgazedearnestlyintothesadbrowneyesthatsearchedhisinreturn。
\"Andhere’syourfriend,\"saidPhyllis。
\"Hello,Pilot,\"saidavoicefromadarkcornerofthecar。
\"What,Neil!Oh,youboy,\"hecriedinanecstasy,pushingbothhandsathim。\"Youdearoldboy。Howisthearm,eh?allright?\"
\"Oh!doingawfullywell,\"saidCaptainNeil。\"Andyou?\"
\"Oh,neversowellinallmylife,\"criedBarry。\"Yet,tothinkofit,tenminutesago,orwhenwasit,Iwasinthereamiserablyhomesickcreature,enviousofallthehappypeopleaboutme,andnow——\"
Whilehewasspeaking,hiseyeswereonMrs。Vincent’sface,buthishandwasholdingfasttoherdaughter’sarm。\"Nowit’salovelyoldtown,andfullofdearpeople。\"
\"Whereareyouputtingup?\"askedMrs。Vincent。
\"TheCecil。\"
\"Letusdriveyoutherethen,\"shesaid。
DuringthedriveBarrysatsilentforthemostpart,listeningtoPhyllistalkingexcitedlyandeagerlybesidehim,answeringatrandomthequestionswhichcamelikerapidfirefromthemall,butplanningmeanwhilehowheshouldprolongthesemomentsofbliss。
\"Howaboutsupper?\"hecried,astheyarrivedinthecourtyardofthehotel。\"Comein。Iwantyouto;youseeIhavesomuchtoaskandsomuchtotellCaptainFraserhere,andthreeofmydaysaregonealready。Besides,Iwantyoutoawfully。\"
Mrs。Vincentlookedathisface,whichforallitsbrightnesswaswornanddeep—lined,andhercompassionatemotherlyheartwasstirred。
\"Ofcoursewe’llcome。Wewanttoseeyouandtohearaboutyourexperiences。\"
\"Oh,bully!\"criedBarry。\"Ishallalwaysrememberhowgoodyouaretometo—night。\"
Hewasoverflowingwithexcitement。
\"Oh,thisisgreat,Neil。It’slikehavingabitoftheoldbattalionheretoseeyouagain。\"
Whilewaitingfortheirorderstobefilledatthesuppertable,CaptainNeilturnedsuddenlytoBarryandsaid,\"What’sallthisaboutatrainwreckandthegallantO。C。train?\"
\"Yes,andthisrescuingofmenfromburningcars,\"exclaimedPhyllis。
\"Andknockingoutinsubordinates。\"
\"Andbeingmentionedindespatches。\"
\"Andreceivingcheersatthestation。\"
\"Nowwheredidyougetallthatstuff?\"inquiredBarry。
\"Why,allLondonisringingwithit,\"saidCaptainNeil。
\"Nonsense,\"saidBarry;\"who’sbeenstuffingyou?\"
\"Well,\"saidPhyllis,\"wecameacrossyoursergeantto—dayinthehospital。Suchafunnyman。\"
\"Who?FattyMatthews?\"askedBarry,turningtoCaptainNeil。
\"Yes,itwasFatty,\"saidCaptainNeil,\"andifyouhadyourrightsbyhisaccount,yououghttobeincommandatthismomentofanarmycorpsattheveryleast。ButyouwereO。C。leavetrain,wereyounot?\"
\"Yes,tomydismayIwasmadeO。C。,butImetachap,CaptainCourtney,averydecentfellow,myadjutant,andmadehimcarryon。\"
\"Myword,thatwasastroke!\"
\"Wehadawreck,aghastlyaffairitwas,thoughitmighthavebeenalotworse。TheR。A。M。C。peopledidmagnificently,andthemenbehavedawfullywell,sothatwemanagedtogetthrough。\"
\"AndwhatabouttheO。C。?\"inquiredCaptainNeil。
\"Oh,nothingspecial。Hejustsawthattheotherscarriedon。Nowtellmeaboutyoupeople。Whathaveyoubeendoingandwhatareyougoingtodo?\"
\"Well,’we’rehere,becausewe’rehere,’\"chantedCaptainNeil。
\"Andwhydidn’tyousendmewordastoyourmovements?\"saidBarry。
\"Whathoursofagonyyouwouldhavesparedme!\"
\"ButIdid,\"repliedPhyllis。\"Isentyouourtownaddressandtoldyoueverything。\"
\"Nowisn’tthatrotten!\"exclaimedBarry。\"Nevermind,I’vefoundyou,andnowwhat’stheprogramme?\"
\"Well,\"criedCaptainNeilwithgreatenthusiasm,\"weareallofftoEdinburghto—morrow,wherewemeettheHowlands,andthenforamotortripthroughtheHighlandsandtomyancestralhome。\"
Barry’sfacefell。\"To—morrow?\"hesaidblankly,withaquicklookatPhyllis。\"Andyouareallgoing?\"
\"NotI,\"saidMrs。Vincent,\"butwhyshouldyounotjointheparty?
Youneedjustsuchachange。Itwoulddoyougood。\"
\"Surethinghewill,\"criedCaptainNeil。
Duringthesuppertheyhadfirmlyresolvedtotaboothewar。Theytalkedonallmannerofsubjects,chieflyoftheproposedmotortrip,butinspiteofthebantheirtalkwouldharkbacktothetrenches。ForCaptainNeilmustknowhowhiscomradeswerefaring,andhowhiscompanywascarryingon,andBarrymusttellhimoftheirlosses,andallofthegreatachievementswroughtbythemenoftheirbattalion。AndBarrybecausehisownheartwasfullofalltheirsplendiddeedslethimselfgo。HetoldhowSallyandBoothhadmettheirlastcall,oftheM。O。andhissplendidworkinrescuingthewounded。
\"NowordinallofthisofthePilot,Iobserve,\"interjectedCaptainNeil。
\"Oh,hejustcarriedon!\"
ThenhetoldhowatlasttheM。O。wentout,andhowonhisfacetherewasonlypeace。HehadtotellofCorporalThom,andhowhegavehimselfforhiscomradesandhowCameronkeptthefaith,alonglistofheroeshehadtoenumerate,ofwhomtheworldwasnotworthy,whosedeedsareunknowntofame,butwhosenamesarerecordedinthebooksofGod。AndthenreverentlyhetoldofMcCuaig。
AsBarrytalked,hisheartwasfarawayfromLondon。Hewasseeingagainthatlineofmudbespatteredmen,patientlyploddingupthecommunicationtrench。Hewaslookinguponthemsleepingwithwornandwearyfaces,inrainandmudsoakedbootsandputtees,downintheirflimsy,darkdugouts。Hewashearingagaintheheavy\"crash\"
ofthetrenchmortar,theearthshaking\"crumph\"ofthehighexplosive,theswiftrushofthewhizbang。Beforehiseyeshesawasteadylineofbayonetsbehindacrumblingwall,thenaquickrushtomeettheattack,bombandrifleinhand。Hesawtheilluminedfaceofhisdyingfriend。
Ashetoldhistale,hisfacewasglowing,hiseyesgleamingaswithaninnerfire。
\"Oh,God’sMercy!\"hecried,\"theyaremen!Theyaremen!OnlyGodcouldmakesuchmen。\"
\"Yes,onlyGod,\"echoedMrs。Vincentafteralongpause。\"TheyareGod’smen,andtoGodtheygoatlast。TrulytheyareGod’sownmen。\"
WhileBarrywasspeaking,Phyllis,herhandstightlyclasped,wasleaningforwardlisteningwithglisteningeyesandpartedlips。
Suddenlysherose,andwenthurriedlytothedoor。
\"Forgiveme,\"saidBarry,turningtoMrs。Vincent。\"Ishouldnothavetalkedaboutthesethings。It’sNeilherethatdrewmeout。
It’shisfault。\"
InafewminutesCaptainNeilaroseandsaying,\"I’llseewherePhyllishasgone,\"wentoutatthesamedoor。
\"Theyareverygreatfriends,\"saidMrs。Vincent。\"WeareveryfondofCaptainFraser。Indeed,heislikeoneofourfamily。\"
\"Afine,bravechapheis,\"saidBarrywarmly,butwithaqueerchillathisheart。
\"PhyllishasmadesomeverydelightfulfriendsinFrance。ThoseAmericansatEtapleswereverygoodtoher,\"andshecontinuedtochatinhersoft,gentlevoice,towhichBarrygaveacourteoushearingbutverycasualreplies。Hisheartandhisearswereattentiveforthereturningfootstepsofthosewhohadsoabruptlydesertedthem。WhileMrs。Vincentwastalking,anuglyquestionwasthrustingitselfuponhisattention,demandingananswer。Hecouldsee——anyonewitheyescouldsee——thattherewasbetweenPhyllisandhisfriendCaptainNeilsomeunderstanding。JustwhatwasbetweenthemBarrylongedtoknow。Itflasheduponhimthatupontheanswertothatquestionhiswholefuturehung,forifthisgirlwasmorethanfriendtoCaptainNeil,thenthejoyoflifehadforhimbeenquenched。Nomotortripforhimto—morrow。Hehadhadenoughheart—wrenchingtobearasitwaswithoutthat。No!Ifbetweenthesetwoacloserrelationthanthatofmerefriendshipexisted,hiswaywasclear。Hewouldreturntothetrenchesto—
morrow。
\"Oh,hereyouare,dear,\"saidMrs。Vincent,asPhyllisandCaptainNeilreturnedtotheroom。\"Youfoundtheairtooclose,Ifear。\"
\"No,\"saidPhylliswithsimplesincerity,\"itwasBarry。Isawthosemen,andIcouldnotbearit。Ican’tbearitnow。\"Herlipswerestilltrembling,andhereyeswerefilledwithtears。
\"Andyet,\"saidBarry,\"whenyouwereoverthereinthemidstofitall,youneveronceweakened。That’sthewonderofit。Youjustgoon,doingwhatyoumustdo。Youhaven’ttimetoreflect,andit’sGod’smercythatitisso。ThankGodwehaveourdutytodonomatterwhatcomes。Withoutthatlifewouldbeunbearable。\"
\"Now,whataboutto—morrow?\"saidCaptainNeilbriskly,asMrs。
Vincentrosefromthetable。\"Wemustsettlethat。Whataboutit,Barry?\"
\"Idon’tknow。DoyouthinkIshouldgo?It’syourpartyandit’salreadymadeup。\"
\"Notquite,\"saidPhyllis,lookingshylyathim。\"Youbelongtothepartymorethananyofus,youknow。\"