II + 

Nell and Vernon had rooms in a small prim house about a mile out of Wiltsbury. Vernon, looking well and brown, fell upon Joe and hugged her with enthusiasm. + 

They all went into a room full of antimacassars and lunched off boiled mutton and caper sauce. + 

тАЬVernon, you look splendidтБатАФand almost good-looking, doesnтАЩt he, Nell?тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs the uniform,тАЭ said Nell demurely. + 

She had changed, Sebastian thought, looking at her. He had not seen her since her marriage, four months previously. To him she had always fallen into a classтБатАФa certain type of charming young girl. Now he saw her as an individualтБатАФthe real Nell bursting out of her chrysalis. + 

There was a subdued radiance about her. She was quieter than she used to be, and yet she was more alive. They were happy togetherтБатАФno one who looked at them could doubt it. They seldom looked at each other, but when they did you felt it. Something passed between themтБатАФdelicate, evanescent, but unmistakable. + 

It was a happy meal. They talked of old daysтБатАФof Abbots Puissants. + 

тАЬAnd here we are, all four of us together again,тАЭ said Joe. + 

A warm feeling fastened round NellтАЩs heart. Joe had included her. All four of us, she had said. Nell remembered how once Vernon had said тАЬWe three,тАЭ and the words had hurt her. But that was over now. She was one of them. That was her rewardтБатАФone of her rewards. Life seemed full of rewards at the moment. + 

She was happyтБатАФso terribly happy. And she might so easily not have been happy. She might have been actually married to George when the war broke out. How could she ever have been so incredibly foolish as to think that anything mattered except marrying Vernon? How extraordinarily happy they were and how right he had been to say poverty didnтАЩt matter. + 

It wasnтАЩt as though she were the only one. Lots of girls were doing itтБатАФflinging up everything, marrying the man they cared for no matter how poor he was. After the war something would turn up. That was the attitude. And behind it lay that awful secret fear that you never took out and looked at properly. The nearest you ever got to it was saying defiantly, тАЬAnd no matter what happens, weтАЩll have had something.тАЭ + 

She thought: тАЬThe worldтАЩs changing. EverythingтАЩs different now. It always will be. WeтАЩll never go back.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

She looked across the table at Joe. Joe looked different somehowтБатАФvery queer. What you would have called before the warтБатАФwell, тАЬnot quite.тАЭ What had Joe been doing with herself? That nasty man, La MarreтБатАКтБатАж Oh, well, better not think about it. Nothing mattered nowadays. + 

Joe was so nice to herтБатАФso different to what she used to be in the old days when Nell had always felt uncomfortably that Joe despised her. Perhaps she had cause. She had been a little coward. + 

The war was awful, of course, but it had simplified things. Her mother, for instance, had come round almost at once. She was disappointed naturally about George Chetwynd (poor George, he really was a dear and sheтАЩd been a beast to him), but Mrs.┬аVereker proceeded to make the best of things with admirable common sense. + 

тАЬThese war marriages!тАЭ She used that phrase with a tiny shrug of the shoulders. тАЬPoor childrenтБатАФyou canтАЩt blame them. Not wise, perhapsтБатАФbut what is wisdom at a time like this?тАЭ Mrs.┬аVereker needed all her skill and all her wit to deal with her creditors and she had come off pretty well. Some of them even felt sympathy for her. + 

If she and Vernon didnтАЩt really like each other, they concealed the fact quite creditably, and as a matter of fact, had only met once since the marriage. It had all been so easy. + 

Perhaps, if you had courage, things were always easy. Perhaps that was the great secret of life. + 

Nell pondered, then waking from her reverie plunged once more into the conversation. + 

Sebastian was speaking. + 

тАЬWeтАЩre going to look Jane up when we get back to town. IтАЩve not so much as heard of her for ages. Have you, Vernon?тАЭ + 

Vernon shook his head. + 

тАЬNo,тАЭ he said, тАЬI havenтАЩt.тАЭ + 

He tried to speak naturally but didnтАЩt quite succeed. + 

тАЬSheтАЩs very nice,тАЭ said Nell. тАЬButтБатАФwell, rather difficult, isnтАЩt she? I mean you never quite know what sheтАЩs thinking about.тАЭ + 

тАЬShe might be occasionally disconcerting,тАЭ Sebastian allowed. + 

тАЬSheтАЩs an angel,тАЭ said Joe with vehemence. + 

Nell was watching Vernon. She thought, тАЬI wish heтАЩd say somethingтБатАКтБатАж anythingтБатАКтБатАж IтАЩm afraid of Jane. I always have been. SheтАЩs a devil.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

тАЬProbably,тАЭ said Sebastian, тАЬsheтАЩs gone to Russia or Timbuktu or Mozambique. One would never be surprised with Jane.тАЭ + 

тАЬHow long is it since youтАЩve seen her?тАЭ asked Joe. + 

тАЬExactly? Oh, about three weeks.тАЭ + 

тАЬIs that all? I thought you meant really ages.тАЭ + 

тАЬIt seems like it,тАЭ said Sebastian. + 

They began to talk of JoeтАЩs hospital in Paris. Then they talked of Myra and Uncle Sydney. Myra was very well and making an incredible quantity of swabs and also did duty twice a week at a canteen. Uncle Sydney was well on the way to making a second fortune having started the manufacture of explosives. + 

тАЬHeтАЩs got off the mark early,тАЭ said Sebastian appreciatively. тАЬThis warтАЩs not going to be over for three years at least.тАЭ + 

They argued the point. The days of an тАЬoptimistic six monthsтАЭ were over, but three years were regarded as too gloomy a view. Sebastian talked about explosives, the state of Russia, the food question, and submarines. He was a little dictatorial, since he was perfectly sure that he was right. + 

At five oтАЩclock Sebastian and Joe got into the car and drove back to London. Vernon and Nell stood in the road waving. + 

тАЬWell,тАЭ said Nell, тАЬthatтАЩs that.тАЭ She slipped her arm through VernonтАЩs. тАЬIтАЩm glad you were able to get off today. Joe would have been awfully disappointed not to see you.тАЭ + 

тАЬDo you think sheтАЩs changed?тАЭ + 

тАЬA little. DonтАЩt you?тАЭ + 

They were strolling along the road and they turned off where a track led over the downs. + 

тАЬYes,тАЭ said Vernon, with a sigh. тАЬI suppose it was inevitable.тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩm glad sheтАЩs married. I think itтАЩs very fine of her. DonтАЩt you?тАЭ + 

тАЬOh, yes. Joe was always warmhearted, bless her!тАЭ + 

He spoke abstractedly. Nell glanced up at him. She realized now that he had been rather silent all day. The others had done most of the talking. + 

тАЬIтАЩm glad they came,тАЭ she said again. + 

Vernon didnтАЩt answer. She pressed her arm against his and felt him press it against his side. But his silence persisted. + 

It was getting dark and the air came sharp and cold, but they did not turn back, walked on and on without speaking. So they had often walked beforeтБатАФsilent and happy. But this silence was different. There was weight in it and menace. + 

Suddenly Nell knew. + 

тАЬVernon! ItтАЩs come! YouтАЩve got to go.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

He pressed her hand closer still but did not speak. + 

тАЬVernonтБатАКтБатАж when?тАЭ + 

тАЬNext Thursday.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh!тАЭ She stood still. Agony shot through her. It had come. She had known it was bound to come, but she hadnтАЩt knownтБатАФquiteтБатАФwhat it was going to feel like. + 

тАЬNell, Nell.тБатАКтБатАж DonтАЩt mind so much. Please donтАЩt mind so much.тАЭ The words came tumbling out now. тАЬItтАЩll be all right. I know itтАЩll be all right. IтАЩm not going to get killed. I couldnтАЩt now that you love meтБатАФnow that weтАЩre so happy. Some fellows feel their numberтАЩs up when they go outтБатАФbut I donтАЩt. IтАЩve a kind of certainty that IтАЩm going to come through. I want you to feel that too.тАЭ + 

She stood there frozen. This was what war was really. It took the heart out of your body, the blood out of your veins. She clung to him with a sob. He held her to him. + 

тАЬItтАЩs all right, Nell. We knew it was coming soon. And IтАЩm really frightfully keen to goтБатАФat least I would be if it wasnтАЩt for leaving you. You wouldnтАЩt like me to have spent the whole war guarding a bridge in England, would you? And there will be the leaves to look forward toтБатАФweтАЩll have the most frightfully jolly leaves. There will be lots of money, and weтАЩll simply blow it. Oh! Nell darling, I just know that nothing can happen to me now that you care for me.тАЭ + 

She agreed with him. + 

тАЬIt canтАЩtтБатАФit canтАЩt. God couldnтАЩt be so cruel.тАЭ + 

But the thought came to her that God was letting a lot of cruel things happen. + 

She said valiantly, forcing back her tears: тАЬItтАЩll be all right, darling. I know it too.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd evenтБатАФeven if it isnтАЩt, you must rememberтБатАФhow perfect this has been.тБатАКтБатАж Darling, you have been happy, havenтАЩt you?тАЭ + 

She lifted her lips to his. They clung together, dumb, agonizing, the shadow of their first parting hanging over them. + 

How long they stood there they hardly knew. + 