“You don’t eat bread in the night?” said Lilly.

“I do.”

“What a funny thing to do.”

The cottage was in darkness.  The Lillys slept soundly.  Jim woke up and chewed bread and slept again.  In the morning at dawn he rose and went downstairs.  Lilly heard him roaming about—­heard the woman come in to clean—­heard them talking.  So he got up to look after his visitor, though it was not seven o’clock, and the woman was busy.—­But before he went down, he heard Jim come upstairs again.

Mrs. Short was busy in the kitchen when Lilly went down.

“The other gentleman have been down, Sir,” said Mrs. Short.  “He asked me where the bread and butter were, so I said should I cut him a piece.  But he wouldn’t let me do it.  I gave him a knife and he took it for himself, in the pantry.”

“I say, Bricknell,” said Lilly at breakfast time, “why do you eat so much bread?”

“I’ve got to feed up.  I’ve been starved during this damned war.”

“But hunks of bread won’t feed you up.”

“Gives the stomach something to work at, and prevents it grinding on the nerves,” said Jim.

“But surely you don’t want to keep your stomach always full and heavy.”

“I do, my boy.  I do.  It needs keeping solid.  I’m losing life, if I don’t.  I tell you I’m losing life.  Let me put something inside me.”

“I don’t believe bread’s any use.”

During breakfast Jim talked about the future of the world.

“I reckon Christ’s the finest thing time has ever produced,” said he; “and will remain it.”

“But you don’t want crucifixions ad infinitum,” said Lilly.

“What?  Why not?”

“Once is enough—­and have done.”

“Don’t you think love and sacrifice are the finest things in life?” said Jim, over his bacon.

“Depends WHAT love, and what sacrifice,” said Lilly.  “If I really believe in an Almighty God, I am willing to sacrifice for Him.  That is, I’m willing to yield my own personal interest to the bigger creative interest.—­But it’s obvious Almighty God isn’t mere Love.”

“I think it is.  Love and only love,” said Jim.  “I think the greatest joy is sacrificing oneself to love.”

“To SOMEONE you love, you mean,” said Tanny.

“No I don’t.  I don’t mean someone at all.  I mean love—­love—­love.  I sacrifice myself to love.  I reckon that’s the highest man is capable of.”

“But you can’t sacrifice yourself to an abstract principle,” said Tanny.

“That’s just what you can do.  And that’s the beauty of it.  Who represents the principle doesn’t matter.  Christ is the principle of love,” said Jim.

“But no!” said Tanny.  “It MUST be more individual.  It must be SOMEBODY you love, not abstract love in itself.  How can you sacrifice yourself to an abstraction.”

“Ha, I think Love and your Christ detestable,” said Lilly—­“a sheer ignominy.”