en of a disagreeable kind; and it must be
remembered that many of them had never so much as dusted off their own
pianos before taking up their duties at St. Dunstan's.

The matron of the Bungalow was Mrs. Craven, a sympathetic woman of
heroic mould, and with a wide experience in war work. She has two South
African medals, and for twelve months was matron of the hospital at
Bar-le-Duc that Fritzie once termed "that damned little British
hospital," just eight miles behind the lines at Verdun; at a time when
the Germans were exerting their utmost power to break through, and were
making the destruction of hospitals and clearing stations a specialty.
Mrs. Craven was every inch a soldier. The following incident admirably
illustrates her character. One of the men was one day calling for a
Sister just at the time that they were going off duty for the morning,
and waiting to be relieved by the afternoon Sisters. The man had called
three or four times at the top of his voice, "Sister! Sister! Anybody's
Sister!" There was no response. The matron heard him, and rushed to his
assistance. As she passed through the Lounge Room she met a Sister--a
new one, by the way--who had paid no attention to the call. The matron
asked her, somewhat sternly, "Did you not hear that man calling?"

"Yes, Matron; but I am off duty now."

"Off duty! If you were up the line and were going off duty, and a convoy
of broken, bleeding men were being brought in, would you think that you
would be justified in not going to their aid because you were off
duty?"

"Under such circumstances I should not think of such a thing."

"Well, I wish you to remember that there is no time here when you are
off duty. While working in St. Dunstan's all the staff are on duty for
twenty-four hours a day. These men have been deprived of the most
precious thing God had given them while seeing to it that we women might
live here in comparative safety and comfort. I am here to see to their
welfare, and I intend that everyone working with me shall do the same at
all seasons and all hours. Never let me hear you speak of being off duty
again when a cry of distress goes up. The work here is just as important
as if you were up the line. These men, although healed of their open
wounds, need our aid, for the time being at any rate, to help them bear
the burden that has been laid upon them."

Mrs. Craven was a veritable mother to all who came under her care, and
the boys showed their