, had a glimpse of the parade-ground but did
not recognize the man she hoped to see--and a few minutes later she was
slowing the ambulance before the reception room of General Hospital
One-Three-One.

The R. A. M. C. man dismounted, nodded to other R. A. M. C. men more
tidy, more shaven, and a little envious it seemed of their comrade's
dishabille and the four cases were lifted smoothly and swiftly and
carried into the big hut.

"All right, driver," said the R. A. M. C. sergeant when four stretchers
and eight neatly folded blankets had been put into the ambulance to
replace those she had surrendered, and Vera, with a little jerk of her
head, sent the car forward to the park.

She brought her machine in line with one of the four rows, checked her
arrival and walked wearily over to her quarters. She had been out that
morning since four, she had seen sights and heard sounds which a
delicately nurtured young woman, who three years before had shuddered at
the sight of a spider, could never in her wildest nightmare imagine
would be brought to her sight or hearing. She was weary, body and soul,
sick with the nausea which is incomparable to any other. And now she was
at the end of it. Her application for long leave had followed the
smashing up of her airman brother and his compulsory retirement in
England.

And yet she could not bear the thought of leaving all this; the horror
and the wonder of it were alike fascinating. She felt the same pangs of
remorse she had experienced on the one occasion she had run away from
school. She branded herself as a deserter and looked upon those who had
the nerve and will to stay on with something of envy.

Her plain-spoken friend was sitting on her bed in a kimono as the girl
came in.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?" asked Vera irritably.

"Are you sorry you are leaving us?"

"I haven't left yet," said the girl, sitting down and unstrapping her
leather leggings slowly.

"You don't go till to-morrow, that's true," said the other girl calmly,
"and how have you rounded off all your little--friendships?" There was
just the slightest of pauses between the two last words.

"You mean Lieutenant MacTavish?" asked Vera distraitly.

"I mean Tam," said the girl with a nod.

"Exactly what do you mean by 'rounded off'?"

The other girl laughed. "Well, there are many ways of a friendship,"
she smiled; "there's the 'If-you-come-to-my-town-look-me-up' way.
There's the 'You'll-write-every-