rried! Great minds think alike, they
say!" With a flourish he stretched out his hand, and it was plain that
he thought he would touch the woman in uniform, though he was some feet
away. Richard's and Ellen's eyes met; it was repulsive to see a man
dizzied by so small a draught of excitement. "Richard, Miss Melville,
this is Lieutenant Poppy, who's going to be my wife."

It was difficult to know what to do, for the woman in uniform, although
she made a murmuring noise, preserved that unillumined aspect which
conveyed, more fully than silence could have done, that her soul was
glumly silent. But they went and greeted her, and looked into the matted
darkness of her eyes.

"We're going to be married as soon as I've served my year of probation.
That's a long time ahead, for I've only been at it a fortnight. I expect
you'll be getting married much sooner. Things always went easier with
you than me," he complained. "But it'll be a happy day when it comes,
and I get the two blessings at the same time, becoming a full soldier of
Jesus and marrying Poppy. She's nearly a full soldier already. She
joined the Army seven months ago."

"Do you preach in the streets?" asked Richard.

Roger's eyes filled with water. Ellen reflected that he must be
curiously sensitive for one so dull-witted, for the rage and disgust
behind the question had hardly shown their heads. "Yes, I do!" he said
pettishly. "And if Jesus doesn't object, I don't see why you should."

"I don't object at all," Richard assured him amiably. "I only wondered
what sort of work you did. I suppose you haven't come to work at the
Hallelujah Colony here, have you?"

"That's just what I've done!" answered Roger joyfully. "I joined up at
Margate and I've laboured there for three weeks. I didn't do so bad. Did
I, Poppy? Not for a start? No one could exactly shine at street
preaching at first, you know. They will laugh so. But I didn't do worse
than other people when they begin, did I, Poppy? However, they've
transferred me over here to the Colony, to do clerk work." He added with
a touch of defiance: "And, of course, they'll want me to take services
too, sometimes. In fact I'm going to take a service this evening."

"How long are you to be here?"

"Maybe always. They may feel I do the best work for Jesus here." He drew
a deep, shuddering breath, and took his cap off and threw it on the
table with a convulsive gesture. "If mother doesn't turn me away because
I've given m