cross above his heart lay in his final
sleep.

All at once Mildred Thornton felt extraordinarily weary. Backward and
forward she could see the big room rise and recede as though it had been
an immense wave. The dim light was turning to darkness, when
instinctively reaching out her hand touched the back of a chair. With
this she steadied herself for the moment. Until now she had not known
how tired she was from her vigil, nor how she had been moved by the
scene she had just witnessed. After a little she would go to her own
room and perhaps Nona or Barbara would be there. But she must wait until
General Alexis and the priest had gone away.

The next moment she realized that the great man had risen and was
approaching toward her.

Mildred looked wholly unlike a Russian woman. Her heavy flaxen hair,
simply braided and twisted about her head, showed a few strands
underneath her nurse's cap. Her face was almost colorless, yet her
pallor was unlike the Russian, which is of a strange olive tone. Now and
then in her nurse's costume Mildred Thornton became almost beautiful,
through her air of strength and refinement and the unusual sweetness of
her expression.

The eyes that were turned toward General Alexis were a clear blue-gray,
but there were deep circles under them, and the girl swayed a little in
spite of her effort to stand perfectly still.

For several seconds the great man regarded her in silence. Then he
stretched forth his hand.

"You are an American Red Cross nurse, I believe. May I have the honor of
shaking your hand. I have been told that three young American women are
here at our fortress at Grovno helping to care for our wounded. You have
traveled many miles for a noble cause. In the name of my Emperor and his
people may I thank you."

The little speech was made in perfect English and with such simplicity
that Mildred did not feel awed or surprised.

However, she was not certain how she replied or if she replied at all.
She only felt her cold fingers held in a hand like steel and the next
moment the great general had gone out of the room.

Immediately after Mildred found herself surrounded by a group of Russian
nurses. The Russians are amazing linguists and several of the nurses
could speak English. Evidently they were overwhelmed by the honor the
American girl had just had bestowed upon her. It had almost overshadowed
for the time the greater glory of the young soldier.

An American Red Cross nurse h