And Pierson, in answer, murmured: 

“You’re very little changed, Leila!  We haven’t, seen each other since my youngest girl was born.  She’s just a little like you.”  But he thought:  ‘My Nollie!  So much more dewy; poor Leila!’

They walked on, talking of his daughters, till they reached the hospital.

“If you’ll wait here a minute, I’ll take you over my wards.”

She had left him in a bare hall, holding his hat in one hand and touching his gold cross with the other; but she soon came hack, and a little warmth crept about his heart.  How works of mercy suited women!  She looked so different, so much softer, beneath the white coif, with a white apron over the bluish frock.

At the change in his face, a little warmth crept about Leila, too, just where the bib of her apron stopped; and her eyes slid round at him while they went towards what had once been a billiard-room.

“My men are dears,” she said; “they love to be talked to.”

Under a skylight six beds jutted out from a green distempered wall, opposite to six beds jutting out from another green distempered wall, and from each bed a face was turned towards them young faces, with but little expression in them.  A nurse, at the far end, looked round, and went on with her work.  The sight of the ward was no more new to Pierson than to anyone else in these days.  It was so familiar, indeed, that it had practically no significance.  He stood by the first bed, and Leila stood alongside.  The man smiled up when she spoke, and did not smile when he spoke, and that again was familiar to him.  They passed from bed to bed, with exactly the same result, till she was called away, and he sat down by a young soldier with a long, very narrow head and face, and a heavily bandaged shoulder.  Touching the bandage reverently, Pierson said: 

“Well, my dear fellow-still bad?”

“Ah!” replied the soldier.  “Shrapnel wound:  It’s cut the flesh properly.”

“But not the spirit, I can see!”

The young soldier gave him a quaint look, as much as to say:  “Not ’arf bad!” and a gramophone close to the last bed began to play:  “God bless Daddy at the war!”

“Are you fond of music?”

“I like it well enough.  Passes the time.”

“I’m afraid the time hangs heavy in hospital.”

“Yes; it hangs a bit ’eavy; it’s just ’orspital life.  I’ve been wounded before, you see.  It’s better than bein’ out there.  I expect I’ll lose the proper use o’ this arm.  I don’t worry; I’ll get my discharge.”

“You’ve got some good nurses here.”

“Yes; I like Mrs. Lynch; she’s the lady I like.”

“My cousin.”

“I see you come in together.  I see everything ’ere.  I think a lot, too.  Passes the time.”

“Do they let you smoke?”

“Oh, yes!  They let us smoke.”

“Have one of mine?”

The young soldier smiled for the first time.  “Thank you; I’ve got plenty.”