em.

"What is it?" she said, hoarsely.

He could not think of anything to say....

"It's from the War Office, mother," Mary said.

He stood ready to put his arms about her and support her....

"Give it to me," she said, holding out her hand for the telegram, and he
passed it to her.

They stood silently before her while she read it. Then Mary went close
to her. "Mother!..." she said.

Mrs. Graham did not make any answer to Mary. She still held the telegram
in her hands, and gazed at it, reading it over and over....

"Mother, dear!" Mary reached up, and put her arms about her mother's
neck.

"Yes, Mary," she answered very calmly.

But Mary could not say any more. She buried her head on her mother's
shoulder, and the tears that she had been holding back, would not be
held back any longer, and sobs burst from her that seemed as if they
would choke her.

"My dear," said Mrs. Graham, raising Mary's face to hers, "we must ...
we must be brave!"

She turned to Henry. "Take her in," she said, "and ... and comfort her!"

He went to them, and put his arm about Mary, and led her to the house.
"Won't you come in, too?" he said, turning to Mrs. Graham.

"No, Henry," she answered. "Not yet. I want to be out here. I ... I want
to be alone!"

She moved away, going slowly down the avenue of trees until she reached
the orchard, and then she went into it, and was hidden by the apple
trees....

He led Mary into the house. "We can't do anything, Mary," he said.
"We're ... we're all caught in this thing ... and we can't do
anything...."

She went to her room, and when he had seen the door close behind her, he
turned to go back to the drawing-room. He would have to write to Roger.
"First it was Gilbert ... then it was Ninian ... presently, it will
be!..."

He shuddered, and tried to shut the thought out of his mind.

There was a servant in the hall. "Tell the others," he said in a cold,
toneless voice, "that Mr. Ninian ... has been killed in France!"

"Oh, sir!..." the girl cried, clasping her hands together.

He did not wait to hear, and she hurried down the passage to the
kitchens.

"Two of us gone now," he said to himself.

He searched for writing materials, wandering round and round the room
until he forgot what it was he wanted. "I'm looking for something," he
said aloud, "I'm looking for something, but I don't know what it is!..."

Then he remembered.

"I mustn't let myself go," he said to himself. "I m