der the supper for all, feeling that he
must make the most of every minute.

Passing the officers' headquarters he heard the raucous laugh of
Wainwright, and caught a glimpse of his fat head and neck through a
window. His heart sank! Wainwright was back! Then he had been sent for,
and they must be going that night!

He fled to the Hostess' House and was silent and distraught as he ate his
supper. Suppose Wainwright should come in while they were there and see
Ruth and spoil those last few minutes together? The thought was
unbearable.

Nobody wanted much supper and they wandered outside in the soft evening
air. There was a hushed sorrow over everything. Even the roughest
soldiers were not ashamed of tears. Little faded mothers clung to big
burly sons, and their sons smoothed their gray hair awkwardly and were
not ashamed. A pair of lovers sat at the foot of a tree hand in hand and
no one looked at them, except in sympathy. There were partings
everywhere. A few wives with little children in their arms were writing
down hurried directions and receiving a bit of money; but most desolate
of all was the row of lads lined up near the station whose friends were
gone, or had not come at all, and who had to stand and endure the woe of
others.

"Couldn't we _walk_ out of camp?" asked Ruth suddenly. "Must we go on
that awful trolley? Last night everybody was weeping. I wanted to weep,
too. It is only a few steps from the end of camp to our quarters. Or is
it too far for you, Mrs. Cameron?"

"Nothing is too far to-night so I may be with my boy one hour longer."

"Then we must start at once," said Cameron, "there is barely time to
reach the outskirts before the hour when all visitors must be out of
camp. It is over three miles, mother."

"I can walk it if Ruth can," said the mother smiling bravely.

He drew an arm of each within his own and started off, glad to be out of
Wainwright's neighborhood, gladder still to have a little longer with
those he loved.

Out through the deserted streets they passed, where empty barracks were
being prepared for the next draft men; past the Tank Headquarters and the
colored barracks, the storehouses and more barracks just emptied that
afternoon into troop trains; out beyond the great laundry and on up the
cinder road to the top of the hill and the end of the way.

There at last, in sight of the Military Police, pacing back and forth at
the entrance to camp, with the twinkling lights of th