The spectator., 1919-01-14


 he had dined at the mess.
 T think you are mistaken, sir" he answered quietly.
 The surgeon searched his face, and. like 2 decent man, admitted his error
 "Another poor devil gone down." he thought, as he turned to his work.
 There were. three more operations following, and Mark sighed with relief as the last man was carried away. He took scrubbing brush and bar of soap and kneeled down to clean the floor, while his fellow attendant secured the splashed table and carried away the towels.
 Mark was conscious that the nurse still fingered, and he went on with his scrubbing. Somehow he did not want to meet her eyes.
 She came toward him and stood near him, by the table. Something splashed down to the floOr-then something else. Mark raised his head. They wero tears, and others followed them down the nursing sisters face. The girl was Eleanor.
 She put out her hands blindly. "Oh, Captain Mark :" she whispered.
 Mark felt himself beginning to shake; fate seemed to have played Il wretched trick on him just then. ''Why, Captain Mark! Why-why did you do thiS?" asked Eleanor.
 ''Hey, ,Westonl" called his fellow or derly from the door of the sterilizing room; and then, seeing him with the sister, withdrew.
 You heard my name?" asked Mark.
 "I heard 1t, Captain Mark. Won't you tell me what it means, what it all meansT
 What 1t all meaps?" he repeated vaguely. wondering at the concern on her face.
 "Why you disappeared as you did from Washington. I knew that you had applied for leave of absence, be- cause you had overworked in the hot weather. But you - never came back" Her voice broke into sob. "The Colonel didn't think 1t strange. He wouldn't admit that there was any reason. except that you must have gone back to your regiment. Did you and he quarrel, Captain Mark? It's unthinllable. I could learn nothing about you, but Major Kellerman had said you were tired of the work and might have got some appointment out of the service. Their tales were con tlicting. And you weren't on the army list any more. Won't you tell me, just because-you knOw-because-"
 Mark could hardly restrain his feel ing.
 I'll tell you," said Mark, raising his eyes. q was accused of treachery, of heraylng secrets to enemies of my country"
 Eleanor laughed in a little, mirth- less voice. "You're still the same Uncle Mark" she whispered. Did you think I would believe that?"
 'Tt was not true," cried Mark, net tied and desperate. "But it was found that I frequentcd gambling houses"
 You are so fond of money, Uncle Mark p
 "I wanted money. You were rich, and I wanted your esteem. I wanted to move in your circles, to win your favor, as others could"
 She gasped and grew red; he saw that his arrow had gone home. and went on pitilessly.
 "When I was at your reception you had smiles for everyone"
 That's enough, Captain Wallace" she said, with an indrawn breath. You insulted me the last time we met, you know, or probably have forgotten. T. I see that all my thoughts of you were wrong. I was always burden. And when you didn't write so many years, and when you didn't come to see me, I thought-oh, I'll tell you now, since you have humiliated me as deep ly as it is possible to humiliate a woman. I thought you stayed away and kept away because you liked me, and because you were afraid that I might come to care for vou. and ruin