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It was an hour since they had left Newhaven

The boat went steadily, inflexibly, without agitation, cutting the s of stiff silk For aof the a not quite real about this ht the rhythines

Then she knew

She was going out, with John and Gwinnie Denning and a ium, to the War She wondered whether any of theot there--She was vague, herself She thought of the warin the air to her right, colourless as an illustration in the papers, grey figures turey sky: and one very near; long lines of stretchers, woundedbefore her She saw herself and John carrying a stretcher, John at the head and her at the foot and Gwinnie and Dr Sutton with another stretcher

Nothing for her and John and Gwinnie but field work; the farm had spoiled them incurably for life indoors But it had hardened their s they would have to do The things they would have to see There would be blood; she knew there would be blood; but she didn't see it; she sahite, very white bandages, and greyish white, sallohite faces that had no features that she knew She hadn't really thought so very s to think about Their seven weeks' training at Coventry, the long days in Roden and Conway's s in the ambulance classes; field practice in the meadow that John's father had lent to the Red Cross; runs along the Warwickshire roads with John sitting beside her, teaching her to steer and handle the heavy ambulance car An endless preparation

And under it all, like a passion, like a hidden illness, their i to be out there

If there had been nothing else to think about there was John Always John Not that you could think about hihly mixed up with it; you couldn't conceive hi hiet into it, to get into it at once, without waiting That hy there was only four of theet all the volunteers they wanted afterwards; and all the cars, his father would send out any nu the volunteers, of not even wanting Gwinnie and Dr Sutton She could see he would have liked to have gone with her alone Queer, that so long as she had thought he would be going without her, she had been afraid; she had felt certain he would be killed or die of wounds The one unbearable thing was that John should die But after it had been settled that she was to go with him as his chauffeur she hadn't been afraid any more It was as if she knew that she would keep him safe Or perhaps all the ti else Of separation She had had visions of John without her in another country; they were coloured, vaguely, with the horror of her dreaht any