“He had been to see an old war comrade at Two Bridges, two miles from here, and meant to lunch at the Duchy Hotel and then proceed to Plymouth; but I prevailed upon him at last to come and share our midday meal, and I was able to tell him things about Michael which promised to change his unfriendly attitude.  To my delight he at last consented to stop for a few hours, and I arranged the most attractive little dinner that I could.  When my husband returned from the bungalow I brought them together again.  Michael was on his defence instantly; but he never harboured a grievance very long and when he saw that Uncle Bob was not unfriendly and very interested to hear he had won the O.B.E. for his valuable services at the depot, Michael showed a ready inclination to forget and forgive the past.

“I think that was almost the happiest day of my life and, with my anxiety much modified, I was able to study Uncle Robert a little.  He seemed unchanged, save that he talked louder and was more excitable than ever.  The war had given him wide, new interests; he was a captain and intended, if he could, to stop in the army.  He had escaped marvellously on many fields and seen much service.  During the last few weeks before the armistice, he succumbed to gassing and was invalided; though, before that, he had also been out of action from shell shock for two months.  He made light of this; but I felt there was really something different about him and suspected that the shell shock accounted for the change.  He was always excitable and in extremes—­now up in the clouds and now down in the depths—­but his terrible experiences had accentuated this peculiarity and, despite his amiable manners and apparent good spirits, both Michael and I felt that his nerves were highly strung and that his judgment could hardly be relied upon.  Indeed his judgment was never a strong point.

“But he proved very jolly, though very egotistical.  He talked for hours about the war and what he had done to win his honours; and we noticed particularly a feature of his conversation.  His memory failed him sometimes.  By which I do not mean that he told us anything contrary to fact; but he often repeated himself, and having mentioned some adventure, would, after the lapse of an hour or less, tell us the same story over again as something new.

“Michael explained to me afterwards that this defect was a serious thing and probably indicated some brain trouble which might get worse.  I was too happy at our reconciliation, however, to feel any concern for the moment and presently, after tea, I begged Uncle Robert to stop with us for a few days instead of going to Plymouth.  We walked out over the moor in the evening to see the bungalow and my uncle was very interested.  Finally he decided that he would remain for the night, at any rate, and we made him put up with us and occupy Mrs. Gerry’s spare bedroom, instead of going to the Duchy Hotel as he intended.

“He stopped on and liked to lend a hand with the building sometimes after the builders had gone.  He and Michael often spent hours of these long evenings there together; and I would take out tea to them.