"I should have thought that Belgium showed the folly of that sort of
thing," said Henry. "A little country can't keep itself separate from a
big one. It'll get hurt if it does."

"Belgium fought, didn't she?" John answered. "I daresay we should get
beaten, too, but we could fight, couldn't we?"

Henry went away from them in a state of depression. It seemed impossible
to persuade them to behave reasonably. Fixed and immovable in their
minds was this belief that England would use them in her need ... and
then betray them when her need was satisfied.

He went back to Ballymartin and corrected his proofs.

"I'll go over to England next week," he said to himself when he had
revised the final proofs and posted them to his publishers.

6

Mrs. Graham had written to him when his father died. "_My dear Henry_,"
she wrote, "_I know how you must feel at the death of your father, and I
know, too, that you will not wish to have your sorrow intruded on. A
letter is a poor thing, but, my dear, I send you all my sympathy. I
never saw your father, but Ninian has often spoken of him to me, and I
know that his loss must be almost unbearable to you. Perhaps he was
glad, as I should be glad, to slip away from the thought and memory of
this horrible war, and that may bring comfort to you. If you feel lonely
and unhappy at home, come to Boveyhayne for a while. You know how glad
we shall be to have you. It is very quiet here now, more than a hundred
of our men have gone into the Navy or the Army, and the poor women are
full of anxiety about them. Ninian has just been moved to Colchester. I
daresay he has written to you before this. If you would like to come to
Boveyhayne just send a telegram to me. That will be sufficient. Believe
me, my dear Henry, Your sincere friend, Janet Graham._"

* * * * *

He remembered Mrs. Graham's letter now, and he went to his writing desk
and took it from the notes of condolence he had received. Ninian and
Gilbert and Roger had written to him, short, abrupt letters that he knew
were full of kindly concern for him, and Rachel had written too. There
was a letter from Mary.

* * * * *

_Dear Quinny, you don't know how sorry I am. It must be awful to lose
your father when you and he have been such chums. I can only just
remember my father, and how I cried when he was taken away, and so I
know how hard it must be for you. Your friend, Mary._