st time on earth, is
there anything which is more eloquent than silence?

It was Freddy who came to the rescue; he talked to save Margaret's
dignity. With his keen eye and appreciation of her character, he knew
the fight she was making for self-control. His talk was of his men and
of his life as an officer in the Army, and of the politics of the day.
When he spoke of Ireland and of the satisfactory way in which she was
behaving, their eyes met.

The question in Margaret's eyes was answered by a shake of his head and
an immediate change of topic.

"Are you liking your work?" he said quickly.

"It's not thrilling, but it's doing my bit."

"Splendid!" he said, and Margaret knew that he understood.

A little silence followed, and then Freddy said, in rather a shamed
voice, "Look here, Meg, we'd better be practical. I've left all my
things in order--if I don't come back, you won't have any difficulty.
Of course, all I've got will be yours. There are a few things I know
you'll always look after, things I specially value."

Meg's throat was bursting and her lips began to quiver, but she choked
back her emotions and regained her self-control. It came to her quite
suddenly, just after speech had seemed hopeless.

"I understand--the Egyptian things. You can trust them to me."

"I know I can," he said. "And do take care of yourself. . . . We'd
better be making a move, I suppose."

They both got up and shook their uniforms free of crumbs.

"I'm jolly thankful I managed to get the work in the Valley pretty well
settled before this happened."

"It was a bit of luck," Margaret said. "Doesn't it seem a shame that
all that wonderful work and all intellectual life must come to a
standstill, everything must be put aside for the one job that
counts--the killing of human beings? That is now the one and only
thing that matters; the most effectual way of killing masses of men is
the problem which scientific minds have set before them!"

Freddy looked keenly at her for a moment. Was Meg still imbued with
Michael's anti-war views? England was at that moment tuned to such a
pitch of war-enthusiasm that there was but one popular feeling and
belief--that this war was sent to cleanse and purify the world, that it
was a blessing in disguise, that but for this war England would have
gone to the dogs. Anyone who dared to express an opinion contrary to
this myth was condemned as pro-German or unpatriotic.

Meg felt her bro