“  Well  —  ?”

“  I  asked  you  to  come  —  to  say  —  that  I  am  —
sorry  — ,”  her  voice  breaking.  “  Daddy  told  me
that  he  knew  why  —  you  couldn’t  fight — ”

“  I  didn’t  intend  that  he  should  tell.”

“He  didn’t,”  eagerly,  “not  your  reasons.  He
said  it  was  a  —  confidence,  and  he  couldn’t  break
121


THE  TIN  SOLDIER


his  word.  But  lie  knew  that  you  were  brave.
That  the  things  the  world  is  saying  are  all  wrong.
Oh,  I  ought  to  go  down  on  my  knees.”

Her  face  was  white,  her  eyes  deep  w*ells  of  tears.
u  It  is  I,”  he  said,  very  low,  “  who  should  be  on
my  knees  —  do  you  know  what  it  means  to  me  to
have  you  tell  me  this?  ”

“  I  wasn’t  sure  that  I  ought  to  write.  To  some
men  I  couldn’t  have  written  — ”

His  face  lighted.  “  When  your  note  came  —  I
can't  tell  you  what  it  meant  to  me.  I  shouldn’t
like  to  think  of  what  this  day  would  have  been  for
me  if  you  had  not  written.  Everybody  is  calling
me  —  a  coward.  You  know  that.  You  heard
Witherspoon  just  now  pitying  me,  not  in  words,  but
his  manner.”

“  Oh,  Ralph,”  how  easily  she  disposed  of  him.
"  Ralph  crows,  like  a  —  rooster.”

They  looked  at  each  other  and  tried  to  la<igh.
But  they  were  not  laughing  in  their  hearts.
