the irrepressible
pulse of life faced with annihilation--seemed to revive within her,
and make her terrible secret almost precious. She had read about
"War babies" in the papers, read with a dull curiosity; but now the
atmosphere, as it were, of those writings was illumined for her. These
babies were wrong, were a "problem," and yet, behind all that, she
seemed now to know that people were glad of them; they made up, they
filled the gaps. Perhaps, when she had one, she would be proud, secretly
proud, in spite of everyone, in spite of her father! They had tried to
kill Cyril--God and everyone; but they hadn't been able, he was alive
within her! A glow came into her face, walking among the busy shopping
crowd, and people turned to look at her; she had that appearance of
seeing no one, nothing, which is strange and attractive to those who
have a moment to spare from contemplation of their own affairs. Fully
two hours she wandered thus, before going in, and only lost that exalted
feeling when, in her own little room, she had taken up his photograph,
and was sitting on her bed gazing at it. She had a bad breakdown then.
Locked in there, she lay on her bed, crying, dreadfully lonely, till she
fell asleep exhausted, with the tear-stained photograph clutched in her
twitching fingers. She woke with a start. It was dark, and someone was
knocking on her door.

"Miss Noel!"

Childish perversity kept her silent. Why couldn't they leave her alone?
They would leave her alone if they knew. Then she heard another kind of
knocking, and her father's voice:

"Nollie! Nollie!"

She scrambled up, and opened. He looked scared, and her heart smote her.

"It's all right, Daddy; I was asleep."

"My dear, I'm sorry, but dinner's ready."

"I don't want any dinner; I think I'll go to bed."

The frown between his brows deepened.

"You shouldn't lock your door, Nollie: I was quite frightened. I went
round to the hospital to bring you home, and they told me about your
fainting. I want you to see a doctor."

Noel shook her head vigorously. "Oh, no! It's nothing!"

"Nothing? To faint like that? Come, my child. To please me." He took her
face in his hands. Noel shrank away.

"No, Daddy. I won't see a doctor. Extravagance in wartime! I won't. It's
no good trying to make me. I'll come down if you like; I shall be all
right to-morrow."

With this Pierson had to be content; but, often that evening, she saw
him looking at her anxiously. And w