ong) burnt from the elbow to the wrist! The
chemist had simply planked on some zinc ointment and lint. I got some
warm boracic and soaked it off gently, though the little thing redoubled
its yells, and a small crowd of F.A.N.Y.s dashed down the passage to see
what was up. "It's only Pat killing a baby" was one of the cheerful
explanations I heard. So encouraging for me. I dressed it with Carron
oil and to my relief the wails ceased. She brought it every morning
after that, and I referred proudly to my "out-patient" who made great
progress. Within ten days the arm had healed up, and Alice was my
devoted follower from that time on.

We had a lot of work that autumn, and barges came down regularly as
clockwork. Many of these cases were taken to the Duchess of Sutherland's
Hospital. She had given up the Bourbourg Belgian one some time before
and now had one for the British, where the famous Carroll-Dakin
treatment was given. One night, taking some cases to the Casino
hospital, there was a boy on board with his eyes bandaged. He had
evidently endeared himself to the Sister on the train, for she came
along with the stretcher bearers and saw him safely into my car.
"Good-bye, Sister," I heard him say, in a cheery voice, "thank you a
thousand times for your kindness--you wait till my old eyes are better
and I'll come back and see you. I know you must look nice," he
continued, with a laugh, "you've got such a kind voice."

Tears were in her eyes as she came round to speak to me and whisper that
it was a hopeless case; he had been so severely injured he would never
see again.

I raged inwardly against the powers that cared not a jot who suffered so
long as their own selfish ends were achieved.

That journey was one of the worst I've ever done. If the boy had not
been so cheerful it would have been easier, but there he lay chatting
breezily to me through the canvas, wanting to know all about our work
and asking hundreds of questions. "You wait till I get home," he said,
"I'll have the best eye chap there is, you bet your life. By Jove, it
will be splendid to get these bandages off, and see again."

Was the war worth even one boy's eyesight? No, I thought not.

CHAPTER XIV

CHRISTMAS, 1916

Taking some wounded Germans to No. 14 hospital one afternoon we were
stopped on the way by a road patrol, a new invention to prevent
joy-riding. Two Tommies rushed out from the hedges, like highwaymen of
old, waving little red