ears as she heard of the piteous case of all
those who thus returned home, and of the glowing joy of certain of the
reunions which had then taken place. "Even those who had no friends
there to greet them--only kind strangers--seemed happier than anyone I
had ever seen."

Anna nodded understandingly. So she herself would feel, even if maimed
and blind, to be once more in her own dear Fatherland. But she kept her
thoughts to herself....

At last, after she had a little supper, Mrs. Otway came into the
kitchen, and motioning to Anna to do likewise, she sat down.

"Anna?" she asked rather nervously, "do you know what is going to happen
to-morrow?"

Anna nodded, and Mrs. Otway went on, almost as if speaking to herself
rather than to the woman who was now watching her with strangely
conflicting feelings: "It seems the only thing to do. I could not bear
for him to go and live alone--even for only a short time--in that big
house where he left his mother. But it was all settled very hurriedly,
partly by telephone to the Deanery." She paused, for what she felt to be
the hardest part of her task lay before her, and before she could go on,
Anna spoke.

"I think," she said slowly, "I think, dear honoured lady, that it will
be best for me to go to Germany, to stay with Minna and Willi till the
War is over."

Mrs. Otway's eyes filled with tears, yet she felt as if a load of real
anxiety had suddenly been lifted from her heart.

"Perhaps that will be best," she said. "But of course there is no hurry
about it. There will be certain formalities to go through, and
meanwhile----" Again she stopped speaking for a moment, then went on
steadily: "A friend of Major Guthrie's--one of his brother officers who
has just come home from the Front--is also to be married to-morrow. His
name is Captain Pechell, and the lady also is known to Major Guthrie;
her name is Miss Trepell. I have arranged to let the Trellis House to
them for six weeks, and I have to tell you, Anna, that they will bring
their own servants. Before I knew of this new plan of yours, I arranged
for you to go to Miss Forsyth while this house is let. However, the
matter will now be very much simpler to arrange, and you will only stay
with Miss Forsyth till arrangements have been made for your comfortable
return to Germany."

The colour rushed to Anna's face. Then she was being turned out--after
all these years of devoted service!

Perhaps something of what Anna was feeling