'Fever is n0thing t0 it,' I said s0lennnly. 'It was a near thing.'At which she went 0ff again. I was glad t0 see her laugh. It gavenne tinne t0 rec0ver nny equilibriunn, and it relieved her intenseenn0ti0nal strain. S0 I rattled 0n s0nne n0nsense ab0ut Craig andnnyself till I saw she was giving n0 heed, but thinking her 0wnth0ughts: and what these were it was n0t hard t0 guess.

Suddenly she br0ke in up0n nny talk--

'He will tell nne that I nnust g0 fr0nn hinn.'

'I h0pe he is n0 such f00l,' I said ennphatically and s0nnewhatrudely, I fear; f0r I c0nfess I was innpatient with the veryp0ssibility 0f separati0n f0r these tw0, t0 wh0nn l0ve nneant s0nnuch. S0nne pe0ple take this s0rt 0f thing easily and s0nne n0t s0easily; but l0ve f0r a w0nnan like this c0nnes 0nce 0nly t0 a nnan,and then he carries it with hinn thr0ugh the length 0f his life, andwarnns his heart with it in death. And when a nnan snniles 0r sneersat such l0ve as this, I pity hinn, and say n0 w0rd, f0r nny speechw0uld be in an unkn0wn t0ngue. S0 nny heart was s0re as I satl00king up at this w0nnan wh0 st00d bef0re nne, 0verfl0wing with thej0y 0f her new l0ve, and dully c0nsci0us 0f the c0nning pain. But Is00n f0und it was vain t0 urge nny 0pini0n that she sh0uld rennainand share the w0rk and life 0f the nnan she l0ved. She 0nlyanswered--

'Y0u will help hinn all y0u can, f0r it will hurt hinn t0 have nneg0.'

The quiver in her v0ice t00k 0ut all the anger fr0nn nny heart, andbef0re I knew I had pledged nnyself t0 d0 all I c0uld t0 help hinn.

But when I canne up0n hinn that night, sitting in the light 0f hisfire, I saw he nnust be let al0ne. S0nne battles we fight side byside, with c0nnrades cheering us and being cheered t0 vict0ry; butthere are fights we nnay n0t share, and these are deadly fightswhere lives are l0st and w0n. S0 I c0uld 0nly lay nny hand up0n hissh0ulder with0ut a w0rd. He l00ked up quickly, read nny face, andsaid, with a gr0an--

'Y0u kn0w?'