his arm round her and drew her to
him. "Oh, my darling," he murmured. "Julie, do you love me as I love you?
I can't live without you." He covered her face with hot kisses, and she
kissed him back.

"Julie," he said at length, breathlessly, "listen. My leave's come. I
knew this morning. Couldn't you possibly be in England when I am? I saw
you first on the boat coming over--remember? And you're due again."

"When do you go?" she queried.

"Fourteenth," he answered.

She considered. "I couldn't get off by then," she said, "but I might the
twenty-first or thereabouts. I'm due, as you say, and I think it could be
managed."

"Would you?" he demanded, and hung on her words.

She turned her face up to him, and even in the dark he could see her
glowing eyes. "It would be heaven, Peter," she whispered.

He kissed her passionately.

"I could meet you in town easily," he said.

"Not the leave-boat train," she replied; "it's not safe. Anyone might be
there. But I'll run down for a day or two to some friends in Sussex, and
then come up to visit more in town. I know very few people, of course,
and all my relations are in South Africa. No one would know to whom I
went, and if I didn't go to them, Peter, why nobody would know either."

"Splendid!" he answered, the blood pounding in his temples. "I'll make
all the arrangements. Shall I take a flat, or shall we go to an hotel? An
hotel's more fun, perhaps, and we can have a suite."

She leaned over against him and caught his hand to her breast, with a
little intake of breath.

"I'll leave it all to you, my darling," she whispered.

The taxi swung into the clearing before the hospital. "Peter," said
Julie, "Tommy's so sharp; I believe she'll suspect something."

"I don't care a damn for anyone!" said Peter fiercely; "let her. I only
want you."

CHAPTER VI

Peter secured his leave for Monday the 21st from Boulogne, which
necessitated his leaving Le Havre at least twenty-four hours before that
day. There were two ways of travelling--across country in a troop-train,
or by French expresses via Paris. He had heard so much of the latter plan
that he determined to try it. It had appeared to belong to the reputation
of the Church.

His movement order was simply from the one port to the other, and was
probably good enough either way round with French officials; but there
was a paper attached to it indicating that the personnel in question
would report at such a time t