IV + 

I + 

In the town of AтБат╕║ in Holland, not far from the German frontier, is an inconspicuous inn. Here on a certain evening in 1917 a dark young man with a haggard face pushed open the door and in very halting Dutch asked for a lodging for the night. He breathed hard and his eyes were restless. Anna Schlieder, the fat proprietress of the inn, looked at him attentively up and down in her usual deliberate way before she replied. Then she told him that he could have a room. Her daughter Freda took him up to it. When she came back, her mother said laconically: тАЬEnglishтБатАФescaped prisoner.тАЭ + 

Freda nodded but said nothing. Her china-blue eyes were soft and sentimental. She had reasons of her own for taking an interest in the English. Presently she again mounted the stairs and knocked on the door. She went in on top of the knock which, as a matter of fact the young man had not heard. He was so sunk in a stupor of exhaustion that external sounds and happenings had hardly any meaning for him. For days and weeks he had been on the qui vive, escaping dangers by a hairsbreadth, never daring to be caught napping either physically or mentally. Now he was suffering the reaction. He lay where he had fallen, half sprawling across the bed. Freda stood and watched him. At last she said: + 

тАЬI bring you hot water.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh!тАЭ he started up. тАЬIтАЩm sorry. I didnтАЩt hear you.тАЭ + 

She said slowly and carefully in his own language: + 

тАЬYou are EnglishтБатАФyes?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. Yes, that isтБатАФтАЭ + 

He stopped suddenly in doubt. One must be careful. The danger was overтБатАФhe was out of Germany. He felt slightly lightheaded. A diet of raw potatoes, dug up from the fields, was not stimulating to the brain. But he still felt he must be careful. It was so difficult. He felt queerтБатАФfelt that he wanted to talk and talk, pour out everything now that at last that fearful long strain was over. + 

The Dutch girl was nodding her head at him gravely, wisely. + 

тАЬI know,тАЭ she said. тАЬYou come from over there.тАЭ Her hand pointed in the direction of the frontier. + 

He looked at her, still irresolute. + 

тАЬYou have escapedтБатАФyes. We had before one like you.тАЭ + 

A wave of reassurance passed over him. She was all right, this girl. His legs suddenly felt weak under him. He dropped down on the bed again. + 

тАЬYou are hungry? Yes. I see. I go and bring you something.тАЭ + 

Was he hungry? He supposed he was. How long was it since he had eaten? One day, two days? He couldnтАЩt remember. The end had been like a nightmareтБатАФjust keeping blindly on. He had a map and a compass. He knew the place where he wanted to cross the frontier, the spot that seemed to him to offer the best chance. A thousand to one chances against him being able to pass the frontierтБатАФbut he had passed it. They had shot at him and missed. Or was that all a dream? He had swum down the riverтБатАФthat was it. No, that was all wrong, too. Well, he wouldnтАЩt think about it. He had escaped, that was the great thing. + 

He leaned forward, supporting his aching head in his hands. + 

Very soon Freda returned carrying a tray with food on it and a great tankard of beer. He ate and drank whilst she stood watching him. The effect was magical. His head cleared. He had been lightheaded, he realized that now. He smiled up at Freda. + 

тАЬThatтАЩs splendid,тАЭ he said. тАЬThanks awfully.тАЭ + 

Encouraged by his smile, she sat down on a chair. + 

тАЬYou know London?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, I know it.тАЭ He smiled a little. She had asked that so quaintly. + 

Freda did not smile. She was in deadly earnest. + 

тАЬYou know a soldier there? A what is it?тБатАФCorporal Green?тАЭ + 

He shook his head, a little touched. + 

тАЬIтАЩm afraid not,тАЭ he said gently. тАЬDo you know his regiment?тАЭ + 

тАЬIt was a London regimentтБатАФthe London Fusiliers.тАЭ She had no further information than that. + 

He said kindly: тАЬWhen I get back to London, IтАЩll try to find out. If you like to give me a letter.тАЭ + 

She looked at him doubtfully, yet with a certain air of trusting appeal. In the end the doubt was vanquished. + 

тАЬI will writeтБатАФyes,тАЭ she said. + 

She rose to leave the room and said abruptly: тАЬWe have an English paper hereтБатАФtwo English papers here. My cousin brought them from the hotel. You would like to see them, yes?тАЭ + 

He thanked her and she returned bringing a tattered Eve and a Sketch which she handed to him with some pride. + 

When she left the room again, he laid down the papers by his side and lighted a cigaretteтБатАФhis last cigarette! What would he have done without those cigarettesтБатАФstolen at that! Perhaps Freda would bring him someтБатАФhe had money to pay for them. A kind girl, Freda, in spite of her thick ankles and an unprepossessing exterior. + 

He took out a small notebook from his pocket. The pages were blank and he wrote in it: Corporal Green, London Fusiliers. He would do what he could for the girl. He wondered idly what story lay behind it. What had Corporal Green been doing in Holland in AтБат╕║? Poor Freda. It was the usual thing, he supposed. + 

GreenтБатАФit reminded him of his childhood. Mr.┬аGreen. The omnipotent delightful Mr.┬аGreenтБатАФhis playfellow and protector. Funny, the things one thought of when one was a kid! + 

HeтАЩd never told Nell about Mr.┬аGreen. Perhaps sheтАЩd had a Mr.┬аGreen of her own. Perhaps all children did. + 

He thought: тАЬNellтБатАФOh, NellтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ and his heart missed a beat. Then he turned his thoughts resolutely away. Very soon now. Poor darling, what she must have suffered knowing him to be a prisoner in Germany! But that was all over now. Very soon now theyтАЩd be together. Very soon. Oh! he mustnтАЩt think of it. The task in handтБатАФno looking forward. + 

He picked up the Sketch and idly turned over the pages. A lot of new shows seemed to be on. What fun to go to a show again. Pictures of generals all looking very fierce and warlike. Pictures of people getting married. Not a bad-looking crowd. That oneтБатАФWhyтБатАФ + 

It wasnтАЩt trueтБатАФit couldnтАЩt be true. Another dreamтБатАФa nightmare. + 

Mrs.┬аVernon Deyre who is to marry Mr.┬аGeorge Chetwynd. Mrs.┬аDeyreтАЩs first husband was killed in action over a year ago. Mr.┬аGeorge Chetwynd is an American who has done very valuable relief work in Serbia. + 

Killed in actionтБатАФyes, he supposed that might be. In spite of all conceivable precautions mistakes like that did arise. A man Vernon knew had been reported killed. A thousandth chance, but it happened. + 

Naturally, Nell would have believedтБатАФand naturally, quite naturally, she would marry again. + 

What nonsense he was talking! NellтБатАФmarry again! So soon. Marry GeorgeтБатАФGeorge with his grey hair. + 

A sudden sharp pang shot through him. He had visualized George too clearly. Damn GeorgeтБатАФblast and curse George. + 

But it wasnтАЩt true. No, it wasnтАЩt true! + 

He stood up, steadying himself as he swayed on his feet. To anyone who had seen him, he would have appeared a little drunk. + 

He was perfectly calmтБатАФyes, he was perfectly calm. The thing was not to believeтБатАФnot to think. Put it awayтБатАФright away. It wasnтАЩt trueтБатАФit couldnтАЩt be true. If you once admitted that it might be true, you were done. + 

He went out of his room, down the stairs. He passed the girl Freda, who stared at him. He said very quietly and calmly (marvellous that he should be so calm): + 

тАЬIтАЩm going out for a walk.тАЭ + 

He went out, oblivious of old Anna SchliederтАЩs eyes that raked his back as he passed her. The girl, Freda, said to her: + 

тАЬHe passed me on the stairs likeтБатАФlikeтБатАФwhat has happened to him?тАЭ + 

Anna tapped her forehead significantly. Nothing ever surprised her. + 

Out on the road Vernon was walkingтБатАФwalking very fast. He must get awayтБатАФget away from the thing that was following him. If he looked roundтБатАФif he thought about itтБатАФbut he wouldnтАЩt think about it. + 

Everything was all rightтБатАФeverything. + 

Only he mustnтАЩt think. This queer dark thing that was following himтБатАФfollowing himтБатАКтБатАж If he didnтАЩt think, he was all right. + 

NellтБатАФNell with her golden hair and her sweet smile. His Nell. Nell and GeorgeтБатАКтБатАж No, no, no! It wasnтАЩt so, he was in time. + 

And suddenly, lucidly, there ran through his mind the thought: тАЬThat paper was six months old at least. TheyтАЩve been married five months.тАЭ + 

He reeled. He thought: тАЬI canтАЩt bear it. No, this I canтАЩt bear. Something must happen.тАЭ + 

He held on blindly to that: Something must happen. + 

Somebody would help him. Mr.┬аGreen. What was this awful thing that was dogging him? Of course, the Beast. The Beast. + 

He could hear it coming. He gave one panic-stricken glance over his shoulder. He was out of the town now, walking on a straight road between dykes. The Beast was coming lumbering along at a great pace, rattling and bumping. + 

The BeastтБатАКтБатАж Oh! if only he could go backтБатАФto the Beast and Mr.┬аGreen, the old terrors, the old comforts. They didnтАЩt hurt you like the new thingsтБатАФlike Nell and George Chetwynd. GeorgeтБатАКтБатАж Nell belonging to GeorgeтБатАКтБатАж + 

No! no, it wasnтАЩt trueтБатАФit mustnтАЩt be true. He couldnтАЩt face any more. Not thatтБатАФnot that. + 

There was only one way to get out of it all, to be at peaceтБатАФonly one way, Vernon Deyre had made a mess of life. Better to get out of it. + 

One last flaming agony shot through his brain. NellтБатАФGeorgeтБатАФno! He thrust them out with a last effort. Mr.┬аGreenтБатАФkind Mr.┬аGreen. + 

He stepped out into the roadway right in the path of the lurching lorry that tried to avoid him too lateтБатАФand struck him down and backwards. + 

A horrible searing shock. Thank God, this was death. + 