n, talking of his daughters, till they reached the
hospital.

"If you'll wait here a minute, I'll take you over my wards."

She had left him in a bare hall, holding his hat in one hand and
touching his gold cross with the other; but she soon came hack, and a
little warmth crept about his heart. How works of mercy suited women!
She looked so different, so much softer, beneath the white coif, with a
white apron over the bluish frock.

At the change in his face, a little warmth crept about Leila, too, just
where the bib of her apron stopped; and her eyes slid round at him while
they went towards what had once been a billiard-room.

"My men are dears," she said; "they love to be talked to."

Under a skylight six beds jutted out from a green distempered wall,
opposite to six beds jutting out from another green distempered wall,
and from each bed a face was turned towards them young faces, with but
little expression in them. A nurse, at the far end, looked round, and
went on with her work. The sight of the ward was no more new to Pierson
than to anyone else in these days. It was so familiar, indeed, that it
had practically no significance. He stood by the first bed, and Leila
stood alongside. The man smiled up when she spoke, and did not smile
when he spoke, and that again was familiar to him. They passed from bed
to bed, with exactly the same result, till she was called away, and he
sat down by a young soldier with a long, very narrow head and face, and
a heavily bandaged shoulder. Touching the bandage reverently, Pierson
said:

"Well, my dear fellow-still bad?"

"Ah!" replied the soldier. "Shrapnel wound: It's cut the flesh
properly."

"But not the spirit, I can see!"

The young soldier gave him a quaint look, as much as to say: "Not 'arf
bad!" and a gramophone close to the last bed began to play: "God bless
Daddy at the war!"

"Are you fond of music?"

"I like it well enough. Passes the time."

"I'm afraid the time hangs heavy in hospital."

"Yes; it hangs a bit 'eavy; it's just 'orspital life. I've been wounded
before, you see. It's better than bein' out there. I expect I'll lose
the proper use o' this arm. I don't worry; I'll get my discharge."

"You've got some good nurses here."

"Yes; I like Mrs. Lynch; she's the lady I like."

"My cousin."

"I see you come in together. I see everything 'ere. I think a lot, too.
Passes the time."

"Do they let you smoke?"

"Oh, yes! They let us smoke."

"Ha