Betty brought back her wandering attention with a start.  She had been thinking of those last words of Allen’s, had been seeing again that exalted look in his eyes, could feel again the trembling of his hands as he grasped hers in a grip that hurt—­hurt gloriously.

“Wh-what did you say?” she asked, dimly conscious of having been addressed.  “I—­I’m afraid I wasn’t listening.”

“I’m afraid you weren’t,” returned Grace, throwing a loving arm about her.

Then she repeated Amy’s confession and her own question, and gradually there began to dawn in Betty’s eyes a real interest.

“Oh, Amy, do tell us about it,” she begged earnestly.  “You know he has always been something of a mystery to us because of his reserve, and we’d love to know more about him.  You know we’re really not curious—­just truly interested.”

“Well,” agreed Amy, with a smile, not able to resist Betty—­nobody ever was for long—­“of course, I’ll tell you all there is to tell—­although it really isn’t much.  I was hurrying along the parade a day or two ago, watching the boys drill, when somebody ran plump into me and made me drop the package I was carrying.  I gasped and started to apologize for not looking where I was going when I saw that it was Sergeant Mullins.  Then we both laughed and he picked up my package and offered to see me safely back to the Hostess House.  Now what are you laughing at, Mollie?”

“I was just thinking,” Mollie chuckled, “of the desperate need there was of a brave escort and of all the lions and tigers that were apt to attack you on the parade—­”

“Well, you don’t have to be silly,” Amy retorted hotly, flushing despite herself, adding, rather lamely:  “He said it was so no one else would run into me.”

“Worse and worse, and more of it,” chortled Mollie, skidding deftly about a curve.  “What an excuse!”

“Oh, all right then,” Amy was beginning indignantly, when Grace hurriedly thrust the candy box beneath her nose.

“Have one, honey,” she said, in a voice of sugar sweetness.  “You needn’t pay any attention to Mollie, you know.  We’re listening.”

“Well,” Amy continued, slightly mollified, “it was then he told me all about the ambition he had had of being one of the first on the firing line and how hard it was to train all the boys to go after the Huns and then not have a chance at them himself.”

“And, of course, you told him the same old thing about his doing a great deal more for his country here than he could do on the other side—­” began Mollie.

“Well, what else was there to say?” Amy replied, a little sharply.  “Of course, it didn’t make him feel any better, and I knew in my heart that it wouldn’t, but anything’s better than just staying quiet and acting foolish.”

“And natural,” murmured Grace.

“Anyway, he seemed to understand that I was really sorry for him,” Amy continued, not noticing the interruption.  “He said he was sorry he’d bothered me with his grouchiness, that he wouldn’t have felt so bad about it if it hadn’t been for all the boys going away, and he supposed he’d even get used to that after a while if he tried hard enough.