BarryhadthoughthercharminginherV。A。D。dress,butinheruniformshewasbewitching。Henoticedthatherhairclusteredintinyringletsabouthernattylittlecap,inquiteamaddeningway。
Onevagrantcurloverherearhadaparticularfascinationforhiseyes。Hefeltitoughttobetuckedinjustashade。Hewasconsciousofanalmostirresistibledesiretodothetuckingin。
Whatwouldhappenif——
"Well,areyouready?"inquiredthegirlinaquick,businessliketone。
"What?Oh,yes,"saidBarry,recalledtothebusinessofthemoment。
Duringthedrivethegirlgaveherwholeattentiontoherwheel,asindeedwasnecessary,fortheroadwasdangerouslyslippery,andshedrovewithoutlightsthroughtheblacknight。Barrykeptupanendlessstreamoftalk,setgoingbyhercommand,asshetookherplaceatthewheel。"NowtellmeaboutCanada。Icanlisten,butIcan’ttalk。"
Inthefulltideofhismosteloquentpassages,Barryfoundhimselfgrowingincoherentattimes,forhismindwasinastateofoscillationbetweenthewonderfulandlustrousqualitiesofthebrowneyesthatherememberedflashinguponhiminthelightofthefire,andthatmaddeninglittlecurloverthegirl’sear。
Inanunbelievablyshorttime,soitseemedtohim,theycameupontherearofamarchingcolumn。
"Theseareyourmen,Ifancy,"shesaid,"andthiswillbeyourcampontheleft;Iknowitwell。I’veoftenbeenhere。"
Sheswungthecarofftheroadintoanopenfield,setoutwithtents,andbroughtthecartoastopbesideanoldruinedfactory。
"This,Ibelieve,willbethebestplaceforyourpurpose,"shesaid,andsprangfromherseat,andrantotheruin,flashinghertorchlightbeforeher。"Hereyouare,"shesaid。"Thiswillbejustthething。"
Barryfollowedherafewstepsdownintothelong,stone—flaggedcellar。
"Splendid!Thisistheverything,"hecriedenthusiastically。
"Youarereallythemostwonderfulperson。"
"Nowgetyourstuffinhere,"sheordered。"Butwhatwillyoudoforwood?Thereisalwayswater,"sheadded,"insometanksfurtheron。Come,I’llshowyou。"
Barryfollowedheringrowingamazementandadmirationatherpromptefficiency。
"Nowthen,thereareyourtanks,"shesaid。"Asforwood,Idon’tknowwhatyouwilldo,butthereisagardenpalingalittlefurtheron,and,ofcourse——"
"Don’tworryaboutthat,"saidBarry。
"Iwon’t,"withagaylaugh;"IknowyouCanadians,yousee。"
Togethertheyreturnedtothecar。
BeforeshemountedtoherseatsheturnedtoBarry,andofferedhimherhandandsaid:"Ithinkitisperfectlyrippingthatwewereintroducedinthisway。ThoughIdon’tknowyournameyet,"sheaddedshyly。
"Awfullystupidofme,"saidBarry,andhegaveherhisname,addingthatoftheregiment,andhisrank。
"Good—bye,then,"shesaid,climbingintohercar,andstartingherengine。
"But,"saidBarry,"Imustseeyousafelyback。"
Shelaughedascornfulbut,asBarrythought,amostdeliciouslittlelaugh。
"Nonsense!Wedon’tdothatsortofthinghere,youknow。We’reonourown。"
Alittlesilencefellbetweenthem。
"Whendoesyourbattalionmarch?"sheaskedabruptly。
"Perhapsto—morrow。Idon’tknow。"
"Ifyoudogothen,"shesaid,withagainthatlittletouchofshyness,"IsupposeIwon’tseeyouagain。"
"Seeyouagain,"exclaimedBarry,histoneindicatingthatthepossibilityofsuchacalamitywasunthinkable,"why,ofcourseI
shallseeyouagain。Imustseeyouagain——I——I——Ijustmustseeyouagain。"
"Goodnight,then,"shesaidinasoft,hurriedvoice,throwinginherclutch。
Barrystoodlisteninginthedarktothehumofherengine,growingmorefainteverymoment。
"Somegirl,eh?"saidavoice。AthissidehesawHarryHobbs。
Barryturnedsharplyuponhim。
"Nowthen,Hobbs,somewoodandwewillgetafiregoingandlooklively!And,Hobbs,Ibelievethere’safenceaboutfiftyyardsdownthere,whichyoumightfinduseful。Nowmove。Quick!"
Unconsciouslyhetriedtoreproduce,inutteringthelastword,Duff’stoneandmanner。Theeffectwasevidentimmediately。
Hobbswithoutfurtherwordsdepartedinthedarkness。AgainBarrystoodlisteningtothehumoftheengine,untilhecouldnolongerhearitinthenoiseandconfusionofthecamp,butinhisheartHarry’swordsmademusic。
"Somegirl,eh?"
Ashestoodthereinthedarkness,hearingthatmusicinhisheart,avoicebrokein,swearinghardanddeepoaths。ItwastheM。O。
"Hello,doc,myboy;comehere,"criedBarry。
TheM。O。approached。Hewasinastateofragethatrenderedcoherentspeechimpossible。
"Oh,quitit,doc。Letmeshowyousomething。"
Heledhimintotheruin,wherehisspoilswerecached。
"Biscuits,myboy,andcoffee。Holdon!Listen!I’mgoingtogetafiregoinghereandintwentyminutesthere’llbesixcansoffragrantdeliciouscoffee,boilinghot。"
"Why,howthe——"
"Doc,don’ttalk!Listentome!Youroundupyoursickmen,andbringthemquietlyoverhere。Idon’tknowhowmanyIcansupply,butatleast,Ithink,ahundred。"
"Why,howthedevil——?"
"Goon;Ihaven’ttimetotalktoyou。Getbusy!"
Workingbyflashlight,themencutopenthetins,dumpedthebiscuitsonablanketspreadinacornerofthecellar,whileBarrymadepreparationsforafire。
"Here,Hobbs,youpunchtwoholesinthesecans,justaninchfromthetop。"
Soonthefirewasblazingcheerily。InitslightBarrywassearchingthroughtheruin。
"ByJove,"heshouted,"theverything。Justmadeforus。"
Hepulledoutalongsteelrodfromaheapofrubbishandranwithittothefire。
"Here,boys,punchaholeinthiswall。Nowthen,forthecans。
Stringthemonthisrod。"
Intwentyminutesthecoffeewasready。
"Howisit?"heinquiredanxiously,handingamesstinfulltooneofhismen。
Theboytastedit。
"Likemothermade,"hesaid,withagrin。"Gee,butit’sgood。"
Atthatmomentthedoctorappearedatthecellardoor。
"Isay,oldchap,"hesaid,"therewillbeariothereinfifteenminutes。Thatcoffeesmellsthewholecamp。"
"Bring’emalong,doc。Thesickchapsfirst。ByJove,here’sthesergeantmajorhimself。"
"What’sallthis?"inquiredthesergeantmajorinhisgruffestvoice。"Who’sresponsibleforthisfire?"
"Coffee,sergeantmajor?"answeredBarry,handinghimatinfull。
"Butwhat——?"
"Drinkitfirst,sergeantmajor。"
Thesergeantmajortookthemesstinandtastedthecoffee。
"Well,thisISfine,"hedeclared,"andit’swhattheboyswant。
Butthisfireisagainstorders,sir。Ioughttohaveitputout。"
"Youwillhaveitputoutovermydeadbody,sergeantmajor,"criedtheM。O。
"Andmine,"addedBarry。
"Bygad,we’llchancethezeps,sir,"saidthesergeantmajor。
"Thisfreezin’rainwillkillmorementhanabomb。Bringinyourmen,sir,"headdedtotheM。O。"ButImustseetheO。C。"
Thesergeantmajor’sdevotiontomilitarydisciplinewasstrugglinghardwithhishumanity,which,underhisruggedexterior,beatwarminhisheart。
"WhybotherwiththeO。C。?"saidtheM。D。
"ButImustseehim,"insistedthesergeantmajor。
Hehadnotfartogotoattainhispurpose。
"Hello!Whatthedevilisthis?"exclaimedaloudvoiceatthedoor。
"Bygad,it’stheoldmanhimself,"mutteredtheM。O。toBarry。
"Nowlookoutforructions。"
IncametheO。C。,followedbyabrasshat。Barrywentforwardwithasteamingtinofcoffee。
"Sorryourchinahasn’tarrivedyet,sir,"hesaidcheerfully,"butthecoffeeisn’tbad,theboyssay。"
"Why,it’syou,Dunbar,"saidthecolonel,peeringintohisface,andshakingtheraindropsfromhiscoat。"Imighthaveguessedthatyou’dbeinit。Wherethere’sanytrouble,"hecontinued,turningtothebrasshatathisside,"youmaybequitesurethatthePilotortheM。O。herewillbeinit。ByJove,thiscoffeegoestotherightspot。Haveacup,major?"hesaidasBarrybroughtasecondtin。
"It’sagainstregulations,youknow,"saidthemajor,takingthemesstingingerly。"Firesarequiteforbidden。Airraids,andthatsortofthing,don’tyouknow。"
"Oh,hangitall,major,"criedtheO。C。"Thecoffeeisfine,andmymenwillbealotbetterforit。Thiscampofyours,anyway,isnoplaceforhumanbeings,andespeciallyformenstraightofftheboat。Asforme,I’mdevilishgladtogetthiscoffee。Givemeanothertin,Pilot。"
"It’squiteirregular,"murmuredthemajor,stilldrinkinghiscoffee。"It’squiteirregular!ButIseethedoorisfairlywellguardedagainstlight,andperhaps——"
"Ithinkwe’lljustcarryon,"saidthecolonel。"Ifthereisanytrouble,I’llassumetheresponsibilityforit。Thankyou,Pilot。
Justkeepguardonthelighthere,sergeantmajor。"
"Allright,sir。Verygood,sir,wewillhangupablanket。"
Meanwhilethenewshadspreadthroughoutthecamp,andbeforemanyminuteshadpassedthecellarwasjammedwithacrowdofmenthatreachedthroughthedoorandoutintothenight。Thecrowdwasbecomingnoisyandtherewasdangerofconfusion。Thenthepilotclimbeduponaheapofrubbishandmadealittlespeech。
"Men,"hecalledout,"thiscoffeeisintendedfirstofallforthesickmeninthisbattalion。Thosesickmenmustfirstbecaredfor。Afterthatweshalldistributethecoffeeasfarasitwillgo。Thereisplentyofwateroutside,andIthinkIhaveplentyofcoffee。Sergeantmajor,Isuggestthatyouroundupthesemeninsomesortoforder。"
Afewsharpwordsofcommandfromthesergeantmajorbroughtorderoutofconfusion,andfortwohourstherefiledthroughthecellaracontinuousstreamofmen,eachbringinganemptymesstin,andcarryingitawayfullofhotandfragrantcoffee。
Bythetimethemenhadbeensuppliedtheofficerswerefinishedwiththeirduties,andhavinggotwordofthePilot’scoffeestall,camecrowdingin。Oneandalltheywerevociferousintheirpraiseofthechaplain,votinghima"goodfellow"anda"life—saver"ofthehighestorder。ButitwasfeltbyallthatCorporalThomexpressedthegeneralconsensusofopiniontohisfriendTimms。
"ThatPilotofours,"hedeclared,"runsalittletothenarrowgauge,butinthatlastrounduphewastellingusaboutlastSundaytherewon’tbethegoatrunforhim。It’shimforthebaabaas,sureenough。"
Andthoughinthevernacularthecorporal’swordsdidnotsoundquitereverent,itwasagreedthattheyexpressedinanentirelysatisfactorymannerthegeneralopinionofthebattalion。
Anhourlater,weariedashewas,Barrycrawledintohisicyblankets,butwithawarmerfeelinginhisheartthanhehadknownsincehejoinedthebattalion。Butbeforehehadgonetosleep,therecameintohismindathoughtthatbroughthimupwideawake。
Hehadquiteforgottenallabouthisdutyaschaplain。"Whatachanceyouhadthere,"insistedhischaplain’sconscience,"forawordthatwouldreallyheartenyourmen。ThisistheirfirstnightinFrance。To—morrowtheymarchuptodangeranddeath。Whatachance!Andyoumissedit。"
Barrywastoowearytodiscussthematterfurther,butashefellasleephesaidtohimself,"Atanyrate,theboysarefeelingalotbetter,"andinspiteofhissenseoffailure,thatthoughtbroughthimnosmallcomfort。
CHAPTERXI
THENEWMESSAGE
"Ithink,"saidBarry,totheM。O。,"IreallyoughttoridedowntotheR。A。M。C。hospital,andtellthemhowtheboysenjoyedthecoffeelastnight。"Hisfacewasslightlyflushed,buttheflushmighthavebeenduetothefactthathehadbeenbusilyengagedintyingupthethongsofhisbed—roll,anawkwardjobattimes。
"Surething,"agreedtheM。O。heartily。"Indeedit’sabsolutelyessential,andsay,oldchap,youmighttellherhowIenjoyedmycoffee。Shewillbegladtohearaboutme。"
Barryheavedhisbed—rollatthedoctoranddeparted。
AttheR。A。M。C。HospitaltheOfficerCommanding,towhomhehadsentinhiscard,gavehimacordialgreeting。
"Iamgladtoknowyou,sir。Wehavequitealotofyourchapsherenowandthen,andfinefellowstheyseemtobe。Weexpectahospitaltrainthismorning,andIunderstandtherearesomeCanadiansamongthem。RatherabadgoafewdaysagoatSt。Eloi。
Heavycasualtylist。Clearingstationsallcrowded,andsotheyaresendingalotdowntheline。"
"Canadians?"askedBarry,thinkingofhisfather。"Youhavenotheardwhatunit,sir?"
"No,weonlygetthenumbersandthecharacterofthecasualtiesandthatsortofthing。Well,Imustbeoff。Wouldyoucaretolookaround?"
"Thankyou,no。Wearealsoonthemarch。Isimplycametotellyouhowverygreatlyourmenappreciatedyourhelplastnight。"
"Oh,that’sperfectlyallright。Gladthesergeanthadsenseenoughtodotherightthing。"
Barryhesitated。
"MayIsee——ah——thesergeant?"
"Thesergeant?Why,certainly,butit’snotnecessaryatall。"
Thesergeantwascalledanddulythanked。TheR。A。M。C。officerwasobviouslyanxioustoberidofhisvisitorandtogetofftohisduty。
StillBarrylingered。
"Therewasalsoayounglady,sir,lastnight,"hesaidatlength。
"Ayounglady?"
"SisterVincent,sir,"interjectedthesergeant。"Sheranthemuptothecampinhercar,sir。Theambulancesandcarswereallunderorders。"
"Ah!Ranyouuptothecamp,eh?"
"Yes,sheranusupwiththebiscuitsandcoffee。Itwasawfullykindofher。"
"Ah!——Um!——Verygood!Verygood!Sergeant,callher,"saidtheO。C。abruptly。
"I’mafraidshe’dbeasleepnow,sir。Shewasonnightduty,sir。"
"Oh,then,"saidBarry,"pleasedon’tdisturbher。Iwouldn’tthinkofit。Ifyouwillbekindenough,sir,toconveythethanksofthemenandofmyselftoher。"
"Surely,surely!Well,Ireallymustbegoing。Goodbye!Goodluck!"
Heturnedtohismotorcar。"Iwon’tforget,sir,"hesaidtoBarry。"Oh,I’llbesuretotellher,"headdedwithasignificantsmile。
AsBarrywasmountinghishorse,thestrainsofthebattalionbandwereheardfloatingdownthestreet。Hedrewuphishorsebesidetheentranceandwaited。Downthewindinghilltheycame,tall,lean,hard—lookingmen,stridingwiththefree,easyswingofthemenofthefoothills。Barryfelthisheartfillwithprideinhiscomrades。
"ByJove,"hesaidtohimself,"theboysareallright。"
"Finebodyofmen,sir,"saidthesergeant,whowithhiscomradeshadgatheredaboutthegateway。
"Nottoobad,eh,sergeant?"saidBarry,withmodestpride。
"Sir,"saidthesergeantinalowvoice,"theyoungladyisupatthewindowtoyourleft。"
"Sergeant,you’reabrick!Thankyou,"saidBarry。Heturnedinhissaddle,andsawabovehimawindowfilledwithsmilingnurseslookingdownatthemarchingcolumn,andamongthemhisfriendofthenightbefore。Herfacewasturnedawayfromhim,andhereyeswereuponthecolumn,eagerlysearchingtheranksofthemarchingmen。
"Sergeant,"saidBarry,"yourCommandingOfficerisaverybusyman,andhasagreatmanythingstooccupyhisattention。Don’tyouthinkitisquitepossiblethatthatmessageofminemightescapehismemory,anddon’tyouthinkitwouldbereallymoresatisfactoryifIcoulddeliverthatmessageinperson?"
Thesergeanttiltedhishatoveroneeye,andscratchedhishead。
"Well,sir,theCommandingOfficerdoes’avealotofthingstothinkabout,andthoughhedoesn’toftenforget,hemight。
Besides,Ireallythinktheyoungladywouldliketoknowjusthowthecoffeewent。"
"Sergeant,youareamanofdiscernment。I’lljustwaithereuntilthebattalionpasses。"
Hemovedhishorseafewstepsoutfromthegateway,andswunghimaroundsothathestoodfacingthewindow。ThemovementcaughttheattentionoftheV。A。D。inthewindow。Sheglanceddown,sawhim,and,leaningfarout,wavedherhandineagergreetingandwithasmileofwarmfriendliness。
Hehadonlytimetowavehishandinreply,whentheheadofthecolumndrewoppositethegateway,forcinghimtoturnhisbacktothewindowandstandatsalute。
TheCommandingOfficeracknowledgedthesalute,glancedupatthewindow,wavedhishandtothegroupofnursestheregathered,thenglancedbackatBarry,withasmilefullofmeaning,androdeon。
Afterthebandhadpassedtheentrance,itceasedplaying,andthemen,catchingsightofBarryandthesmilinggroupatthewindowabovehim,brokesoftlyintoarathersuggestivemusichallditty,atthattimepopularwiththesoldiers:
"Hello!Hello!Who’syourladyfriend;
Who’sthelittleblossombyyourside;
Isawyou,withagirlortwo,Oh!Oh!Oh!Oh!I’msurprisedatyou。"
Downthelengthofthecolumntherefrainpassed,graduallygaininginstrengthandvolume,untilbythetimetherearcameoppositetheentrance,themenwereshoutingwithwideopenthroats:
"Oh!Oh!Oh!Oh!I’msurprisedatyou,"
withagrowingemphasisandmeaninguponeverysuccessive"Oh!"
Barry’sfacewasaflameandhishearthotwithfuriousindignation。
Shewasnotthatkindofagirl。Shewouldbehumiliatedbeforeherassociates。Heglancedupatthewindowbutshewasgone。ThebattalionmarchedonbutBarrystillremained,hiseyesfollowingtheswingingcolumn,hisfacestillflaming,andhishearthotwithindignation。
"Goodmorning,CaptainDunbar!"
Heswungoffhishorse,andtheresmilingathimwithwarmfriendlinesswasthelittleV。A。D。
"I’mawfullysorry,"beganBarry,thinkingoftheimpudentsongofhiscomrades。"ImeanI’mverygladtoseeyou。Ijustranintotellyouhowsplendidlythecoffeewentlastnight。Thereareahundredfellowsmarchingalongtherethatarefineandfitjustbecauseofyourkindness,andI’mheretogiveyoutheirthanks。"
Barryfeltthathewascuttingaratherpoorfigure。Hiswordscamehaltinglyandstumblingly。Thesuggestivemusichalldittywasstillinhismind。
"Whatasplendidbandyouhave,"shesaid,"andhowsplendidlythemensing。"
"Sing!"criedBarryindignantly。"Oh,yes,theydosingratherwell,don’tthey?"headded,greatlyrelieved。"Ihaveonlyaminute,"headdedhurriedly,"butIwantedtoseeyouagain,andI
wonderifImaydropyoualittlenotenowandthen,justto——well,hangitall——justtokeepintouchwithyou。Idon’twantyoutoquiteforgetme。"
"Oh,Iwon’tforgetyou,"shesaid。Thebrowneyeslookedstraightathim。"Yousee,afterall,myuncleknowsyousowell。Indeed,hetoldmeaboutyou。Yousee,wereallyarefriends,inaway,aren’twe?"
"Weareindeed,andyouareawfullygood。Goodbye!"
"Goodbye,"shesaid,"andifIleaveheresoon,Ipromisetoletyouknow。"
AndBarryrodeaway,hisheartinsuchaturmoilashehadneverknown。Inhisearslingeredthemusicofthatsoftvoice,andhiseyessawabewilderingcomplexityofdancingringletsandlustrousglances,untilhedrewupattherearofthecolumnandfoundhimselfridingoncemorebesidehisfriend,theM。O。
"Congratulations,oldman,"saidthedoctor。"She’sablossom,allright。Cheerup;youmayfindherbendingoveryourwhitefacesomeday,holdingyourhand,orsmoothingyourbrow,intheapprovedV。A。D。manner。"
"Oh,shutup,doc,"saidBarrywithquiteunusualcurtness。"She’snotthatkindofagirl。"
"Ah,whoknows!"saidthedoctor。"Whoknows!"
Attherailwaystation,thebattalionwashalted,awaitingthemakingupoftheirtrain,thedepartureofwhichwasdelayedbytheincominghospitaltrainfromuptheline。Theyhadnotlongtowait。
"Heresheis,boys!"calledoutasoldier。Andintothestationslowlyrolledthathospitaltrain,withitsfreightofwoundedmen,mutilated,maimed,broken。Itswindowswerecrowdedwithfaces,whiteastheirswathings,worn,spent,deep—lined,fromwhichlookedfortheyes,indifferent,staring,butundauntedandindomitable。
Gradually,withstatelymovement,asbefitteditsnobleburden,thetraincametorestimmediatelyoppositethebattalion。Withgrave,fascinated,horror—strickenfacesthemenofthebattalionstoodrigidandvoicelessgazingatthatdeeplymovingspectacle。Beforetheireyeswerebeingparadedthetragic,patheticremnantsofagallantregiment,whichbutafewweeksbeforehadstoodwheretheynowstood,vitalwithlife,tinglingwithcourage。Attheircountry’sbiddingtheyhadascendedthatHolyMountofSacrifice,toofferuponthealtaroftheworld’sfreedomtheirbodiesasalivingsacrificeuntoGod,holyandacceptable。Now,theirofferingbeingmade,theywerebeingbornebackhelpless,bruised,shatteredbutunconqueredandeternallyglorious。
Silentlythetwocompaniesgazedateachotheracrosstheinterveningspace。Thenfromthewindowofthetrainasoldierthrustabandagedheadandbandagedarm。
"Hellothere,Canada!"hecried,wavingthearm。Instantly,asifhehadtouchedahiddenspring,fromthebattalion’sthousandthroatstherebrokearoarofcheersthatseemedtorocktheraftersofthestationbuilding。
Again,again,andyetagain!Asiftheycouldneverexhausttheburdenoftheirswellingemotions,theyroaredforththeircheers,wavingcapsandrifleshighintheair,whiledowntheircheekspoured,unheededandunhindered,arainoftears。
"Canada!Canada!Canada!"theycried。"Oh,youCanadians!
Alberta!Alberta!"
Feeblycametheansweringcheers,awkwardlywavedthebandagedhandsandarms。
Thenthebattalionbrokeranksandflingingriflesandkitbagstotheground,theyrushedacrossthetracks,eagertobringtheirtributeofprideandlovetotheirbrothersfromtheirowncountry,faracrossthesea。
"Malcolm!Hello,Malcolm!"criedavoicefromawindowofthetrain,asthenoisehadsomewhatsubsided。"Hey,Malcolm,hereyouare!"criedawoundedman,raisinghimselffromhiscottothewindow。
MalcolmInnesturned,scannedthetrain,thenrushedacrossthetrackstothewindowandclungfasttoit。
Itwashisbrother,Ewen。
"Isityourself,Ewen,andareyouhurtedbad?"criedtheboy,allunconsciousofhisbreakingvoiceandfallingtears。Theyclungtogetherforsomelittletimeinsilence。
"Areyoumuchhurted,Ewen?TellmetheGod’struth,"againsaidMalcolm。
"Notmuch,"saidEwen。"Trueasdeath,I’mtellin’you。Myarmisbroke,that’sall。Wehadabadtimeofit,but,man,wegavethemhell,youbet。Oh,itwasgreat!"
Thenagainthesilencefellbetweenthem。Thereseemedtobenothingtosay。
"Here,standbackthere!Youmustgetback,youknow,men!"
AnN。C。O。oftheR。A。M。C。triedtopushMalcolmbackfromthewindow。
"Here,yougotohell,"criedMalcolmfiercely。"It’smybrotherI’vegot。"
TheN。C。O。,widelyexperiencedinthesetragicscenes,hesitatedamoment。Anofficer,comingupbehindhim,withasingleglancetookinthesituation。
"Myboy,"hesaidkindly,placinghishandonMalcolm’sarm,"wewanttogetthesepoorchapsassoonaspossiblewheretheywillbecomfortable。"
Malcolmsprangbackatonce,saluting。
"Yes,sir,"hesaid。"Certainly,sir。"Andbackingacrossthetracks,stoodlookingacrossatthewindowfromwhichhisbrother,weariedwithhiseffort,haddisappeared。
MeantimetheR。A。M。C。werebusywiththeirwork。Withmarvellousrapidityandspeedthetrainwasunloadedofitspatheticfreight,thecarryingcasesintoambulancesandthewalkingcasesintocarsandwagons。
"Good—bye,Mac,"calledavoiceasacarwasdrivingoff。ItwasEwenagain。Thewoundedmanspoketothedriver,whoimmediatelypulledupandswungovertotheplatformwhereMalcolmwasstanding。
"Oh,areyousure,Ewen,youaregoin’tobeallright?Man,youlookawfulwhite。"
"Allright,Mac。YoubetIwill。It’sonlymyarm,"saidEwen,hisbrave,brightwordsinpatheticcontrasttohiswhiteface。
AtthispointBarrycamerushingalong。
"Why,Ewen!Mypoorfellow!"hecried,throwinghisarmaboutthewoundedman’sshoulder。"Whatisit?"
"Myarm,sir,"saidtheboy,addingsomewordsinalowtone。"ButI’mallright,"hesaidbrightly。"You’llwritemymother,sir,andtellher?You’llknowwhattosay。"