e against civilized society to begin to eat anything and
not finish it. That was wilful waste, hens to the contrary
notwithstanding.

Jem turned to the phone again. "I must ring the manse. Jerry will want
to go, too."

At this Nan had cried out "Oh!" as if a knife had been thrust into her,
and rushed from the room. Di followed her. Rilla turned to Walter for
comfort but Walter was lost to her in some reverie she could not share.

"All right," Jem was saying, as coolly as if he were arranging the
details of a picnic. "I thought you would--yes, tonight--the seven
o'clock--meet me at the station. So long."

"Mrs. Dr. dear," said Susan. "I wish you would wake me up. Am I
dreaming--or am I awake? Does that blessed boy realize what he is
saying? Does he mean that he is going to enlist as a soldier? You do
not mean to tell me that they want children like him! It is an outrage.
Surely you and the doctor will not permit it."

"We can't stop him," said Mrs. Blythe, chokingly. "Oh, Gilbert!"

Dr. Blythe came up behind his wife and took her hand gently, looking
down into the sweet grey eyes that he had only once before seen filled
with such imploring anguish as now. They both thought of that other
time--the day years ago in the House of Dreams when little Joyce had
died.

"Would you have him stay, Anne--when the others are going--when he
thinks it his duty--would you have him so selfish and small-souled?"

"No--no! But--oh--our first-born son--he's only a lad--Gilbert--I'll
try to be brave after a while--just now I can't. It's all come so
suddenly. Give me time."

The doctor and his wife went out of the room. Jem had gone--Walter had
gone--Shirley got up to go. Rilla and Susan remained staring at each
other across the deserted table. Rilla had not yet cried--she was too
stunned for tears. Then she saw that Susan was crying--Susan, whom she
had never seen shed a tear before.

"Oh, Susan, will he really go?" she asked.

"It--it--it is just ridiculous, that is what it is," said Susan.

She wiped away her tears, gulped resolutely and got up.

"I am going to wash the dishes. That has to be done, even if everybody
has gone crazy. There now, dearie, do not you cry. Jem will go, most
likely--but the war will be over long before he gets anywhere near it.
Let us take a brace and not worry your poor mother."

"In the Enterprise today it was reported that Lord Kitchener says the
war will last three years," said Rilla dubiously