followed boys in khaki. Rilla, I tell you I saw
him--it was no fancy--no illusion. I heard his music, and then--he was
gone. But I had seen him--and I knew what it meant--I knew that I was
among those who followed him.

"Rilla, the Piper will pipe me 'west' tomorrow. I feel sure of this.
And Rilla, I'm not afraid. When you hear the news, remember that. I've
won my own freedom here--freedom from all fear. I shall never be afraid
of anything again--not of death--nor of life, if after all, I am to go
on living. And life, I think, would be the harder of the two to
face--for it could never be beautiful for me again. There would always
be such horrible things to remember--things that would make life ugly
and painful always for me. I could never forget them. But whether it's
life or death, I'm not afraid, Rilla-my-Rilla, and I am not sorry that
I came. I'm satisfied. I'll never write the poems I once dreamed of
writing--but I've helped to make Canada safe for the poets of the
future--for the workers of the future--ay, and the dreamers, too--for
if no man dreams, there will be nothing for the workers to fulfil--the
future, not of Canada only but of the world--when the 'red rain' of
Langemarck and Verdun shall have brought forth a golden harvest--not in
a year or two, as some foolishly think, but a generation later, when
the seed sown now shall have had time to germinate and grow. Yes, I'm
glad I came, Rilla. It isn't only the fate of the little sea-born
island I love that is in the balance--nor of Canada nor of England.
It's the fate of mankind. That is what we're fighting for. And we shall
win--never for a moment doubt that, Rilla. For it isn't only the living
who are fighting--the dead are fighting too. Such an army cannot be
defeated.

"Is there laughter in your face yet, Rilla? I hope so. The world will
need laughter and courage more than ever in the years that will come
next. I don't want to preach--this isn't any time for it. But I just
want to say something that may help you over the worst when you hear
that I've gone 'west.' I've a premonition about you, Rilla, as well as
about myself. I think Ken will go back to you--and that there are long
years of happiness for you by-and-by. And you will tell your children
of the Idea we fought and died for--teach them it must be lived for as
well as died for, else the price paid for it will have been given for
nought. This will be part of your work, Rilla. And if you--all you
gi