!
Remember the poor soldiers with only one leg! You have got both your
legs! And the poor men who walk from the battlefield with bullets
through the lungs. What is your pain to theirs! Nonsense!" But the pain,
like none she had ever felt--a pain which seemed to have sharp double
edges like a knife--kept passing through and through her, till her legs
had no strength at all, and seemed to move simply because her will said:
"If you don't, I'll leave you behind. So there!" She felt as if
perspiration were flowing down, yet her face was as dry as a dead leaf
when she put up her hand to it. Her brain stammered; seemed to fly
loose; came to sudden standstills. Her eyes searched painfully each
grey-shuttered window for her own house, though she knew quite well
that she had not reached it yet. From sheer pain she stood still, a wry
little smile on her lips, thinking how poor Polly would say: "Keep
smiling!" Then she moved on, holding out her hand, whether because she
thought God would put his into it or only to pull on some imaginary rope
to help her. So, foot by foot, she crept till she reached her door. A
most peculiar floating sensation had come over her. The pain ceased, and
as if she had passed through no doors, mounted no stairs--she was up in
her room, lying on her sofa, with strange images about her, painfully
conscious that she was not in proper control of her thoughts, and that
Augustine must be thinking her ridiculous. Making a great effort, she
said:

"I forbid you to send for a doctor, Augustine. I shall be all right in a
day or two, if I eat plenty of francs. And you must put on this little
brooch--I bought it for you from an angel in the street. Put my fur coat
on Polly--he's shivering; dry your mouth, there's a good girl. Tell my
son he mustn't think of leaving the poor War Office; I shall come and
see him after the war. It will be over to-morrow, and then we will all
go and have tea together in a wood. Granny will come to you, my
darlings."

And when the terrified girl had rushed out she thought: "There, now
she's gone to get God; and I mustn't disturb Him with all He has to see
to. I shall get up and do for myself." When they came back with the
doctor they found her half-dressed, trying to feed a perch in the empty
cage with a spoon, and saying: "Kiss Granny, Polly. God is coming; kiss
Granny!" while the parrot sat away over on the mantelpiece, with his
head on one side, deeply interested.

When she had bee