I? Why, I'm
home! I'm home!"

Immediately he jumped out of bed, and pulling up the blinds looked out
upon the smoky town.

"Dear old Brunford, dear old Brunford," he said; "ay, this is a change!"

"Art 'a' got up, Tom?"

"Ay, mother."

"Make haste, then, I'll have dinner ready for thee by the time thou'rt
ready."

"Ay, it's good to be home," said Tom, and then he sighed. "I wonder
now, I wonder----" and then he sighed again.

"I mean to go to chapel to-day," he said to his mother when he
presently appeared.

"Chapel!" said his mother, "I thought thou'd given up going to chapel."

"I am going to-day, anyhow," said Tom. "It would be grand if you and
father would come with me to-night."

"Then us will," said Ezekiel quietly.

That night Tom, together with his father and mother, found their way to
the church which he had attended years before. Many eyes were upon him
as he was shown into the pew. All the town had heard of Tom Pollard's
return, but few expected to see him at church that night. For some
time Tom was very self-conscious, and it is to be feared that he
thought little of the service; more than once, too, he caught himself
gazing furtively around the building, but he did not see the face he
longed yet feared to see. Since his return he had asked no questions
about Alice Lister, and neither his mother nor his father had
volunteered any information about her.

"Well," said Tom, "I must drive her out of my mind. What a fool I was!"

How beautiful it was to be singing the old hymns again! The Sunday
before he had been in Ypres, and instead of church bells he had heard
the boom of guns; instead of the music of hymns, the shrieking of
shells; instead of the scenes of home, and the loved ones, were the
blackened ruins of an ancient town which had been ruthlessly destroyed.
Oh, how Tom wished the War were over! How he dreaded the idea of going
back again! Yet he knew he must go, knew that he and thousands of
others must fight on, until those who had made war should be powerless
to make it again.

Presently the service was over, and Tom made his way towards the
vestibule of the church. Scores of hands were held out to him,
hundreds of greetings were offered to him. Many congratulated him on
his bravery, and on his distinction.

Then suddenly Tom's heart ceased to beat, for standing before him was
Alice Lister.

Tom felt his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth. He could not
speak, w