Girl.  I don’t care which win.  I don’t care if my country is beaten.  I despise them all—­animals—­animals.  Ah!  Don’t go, ni-ice boy; I will be quiet now.

     [He has taken some notes from his tunic pocket; he puts then on
     the table and goes up to her.]

Young off.  Good-night.

Girl. [Plaintively] Are you really going?  Don’t you like me enough?

Young off.  Yes, I like you.

Girl.  It is because I am German, then?

Young off.  No.

Girl.  Then why won’t you stay?

Young off. [With a shrug] If you must know—­because you upset me.

Girl.  Won’t you kees me once?

     [He bends, puts his lips to her forehead.  But as he takes them
     away she throws her head back, presses her mouth to his, and
     clings to him.]

Young off. [Sitting down suddenly] Don’t!  I don’t want to feel a brute.

Girl. [Laughing] You are a funny boy; but you are veree good.  Talk to me a little, then.  No one talks to me.  Tell me, haf you seen many German prisoners?

Young off. [Sighing] A good many.

Girl.  Any from the Rhine?

Young off.  Yes, I think so.

Girl.  Were they veree sad?

Young off.  Some were; some were quite glad to be taken.

Girl.  Did you ever see the Rhine?  It will be wonderful to-night.  The moonlight will be the same there, and in Rooshia too, and France, everywhere; and the trees will look the same as here, and people will meet under them and make love just as here.  Oh! isn’t it stupid, the war?  As if it were not good to be alive!

Young off.  You can’t tell how good it is to be alive till you’re facing death.  You don’t live till then.  And when a whole lot of you feel like that—­and are ready to give their lives for each other, it’s worth all the rest of life put together.

     [He stops, ashamed of such, sentiment before this girl, who
     believes in nothing.]

Girl. [Softly] How were you wounded, ni-ice boy?

Young off.  Attacking across open ground:  four machine bullets got me at one go off.

Girl.  Weren’t you veree frightened when they ordered you to attack?

     [He shakes his head and laughs.]

Young off.  It was great.  We did laugh that morning.  They got me much too soon, though—­a swindle.

Girl. [Staring at him] You laughed?

Young off.  Yes.  And what do you think was the first thing I was conscious of next morning?  My old Colonel bending over me and giving me a squeeze of lemon.  If you knew my Colonel you’d still believe in things.  There is something, you know, behind all this evil.  After all, you can only die once, and, if it’s for your country—­all the better!