a smile, though the tears were in her eyes.

"So you're like all the rest of them, lad," she said. "It's for King and
country. Good luck to you."

After the war was over and the men, released from their long terms of
solitary confinement, came back to life injured in mind and body, she was
almost glad he had escaped. But at the time it filled her soul with
darkness.

It was one noonday. He had been down to the tribunal and his case had
been again adjourned. She was returning from a lecture, and, crossing a
street in the neighbourhood of the docks, found herself suddenly faced by
an oncoming crowd. It was yelping and snarling, curiously suggestive of
a pack of hungry wolves. A couple of young soldiers were standing back
against a wall.

"Better not go on, nurse," said one of them. "It's some poor devil of a
Conchy, I expect. Must have a damned sight more pluck than I should."

It was the fear that had been haunting her. She did not know how white
she had turned.

"I think it is someone I know," she said. "Won't you help me?"

The crowd gave way to them, and they had all but reached him. He was
hatless and bespattered, but his tender eyes had neither fear nor anger
in them. She reached out her arms and called to him. Another step and
she would have been beside him, but at the moment a slim, laughing girl
darted in front of him and slipped her foot between his legs and he went
down.

She heard the joyous yell and the shrill laughter as she struggled wildly
to force her way to him. And then for a moment there was a space and a
man with bent body and clenched hands was rushing forward as if upon a
football field, and there came a little sickening thud and then the crowd
closed in again.

Her strength was gone and she could only wait. More soldiers had come up
and were using their fists freely, and gradually the crowd retired, still
snarling; and they lifted him up and brought him to her.

"There's a chemist's shop in the next street. We'd better take him
there," suggested the one who had first spoken to her. And she thanked
them and followed them.

They made a bed for him with their coats upon the floor, and some of them
kept guard outside the shop, while one, putting aside the frightened,
useless little chemist, waited upon her, bringing things needful, while
she cleansed the foulness from his smooth young face, and washed the
matted blood from his fair hair, and closed the lids upon his tend