g: THE GRAVE IN CHART SUTTON]

Surely those who pass through the old churchyard will pause by the
grave, with its beautiful grey cross, and the children growing up in the
parish will come there sometimes, and will read and remember the simple
inscription on it:

"In the Great War, by Word and Deed, at Home and Abroad,
She served her Country even unto Death."

And if any ghosts hover round the little place, they will be the ghosts
of a purity, a kindness, and of a love for humanity which are not often
met with in this workaday world.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps a review of her war work by an onlooker, and a slight sketch of
Miss Macnaughtan's character, may form an appropriate conclusion to this
book.

I stayed with my aunt for one night, on August 7th, 1914. One may be
pardoned for saying that during the previous three days one had scarcely
begun to realise the war, but I was recalled by telegram from
Northamptonshire to the headquarters of my Voluntary Aid Detachment in
Kent, and spent a night in town en route, to get uniform, etc. Certainly
at my aunt's house my eyes were opened to a little of what lay before
us. She was on fire with patriotism and a burning wish to help her
country, and I immediately caught some of her enthusiasm.

Every hour we rushed out to buy papers, every minute seemed consecrated
to preparation for what we could do. There were uniforms to buy, notes
of Red Cross lectures to "rub up," and, in my aunt's case, she was busy
offering her services in every direction in which they could be of use.

[Page Heading: VOLUNTARY RATIONING]

Miss Macnaughtan must surely have been one of the first people to begin
voluntary rationing. We had the simplest possible meals during my visit,
and although she was proud of her housekeeping, and usually gave one
rather perfect food, on this occasion she said how impossible it was for
her to indulge in anything but necessaries, when our soldiers would so
soon have to endure hardships of every kind. She said that we ought to
be particularly careful to eat very little meat, because there would
certainly be a shortage of it later on.

I recollect that there was some hitch about my departure from Norfolk
Street on August 8th. It did not seem clear whether my Voluntary Aid
Detachment was going to provide billets for all recalled members, and I
remember my aunt's absolute scorn of difficulties at such a time.

"Of course, go straight to Kent and obey o