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A good many people were shocked when they read that Captain Forestier had methis death in a forest re when trying to save his wifes dog, which had beenaccidentally shut up in the house. Some said that they never knew he had it in himother said it was e!actly what they would have e!pected of him, but of these somemeant it in one way and some in another. After the tragic occurrence "rs. Forestierfound shelter in the villa of some people called #ardy, whose ac$uaintance she and

her husband had but lately made. Captain Forestier had not liked them, at any ratehe had not liked Fred #ardy, but she felt that had he lived through that terrible nighthe would have changed his mind. #e would have realised how much good therewas in #ardy, not%withstanding his reputation, and like the great gentleman he washe would not have hesitated to admit that he had been mistaken. "rs, Forestier didnot know how she would have kept her reason after the loss of the man who waseverything in the world to her but for the #ardys wonderful kindness. &n herimmense distress their unfailing sympathy had been her only consolation. 'hey,who had been almost eye%witnesses of her husbands great sacrice, knew as didno one else how wonderful he had been. She would never forget the words dearFred #ardy had used when he was breaking the dreadful news to her. &t was thesewords that had enabled her not only to bear the frightful disaster, but to face thedesolate future with the courage with which she well knew that brave man, thatgallant gentleman, whom she had loved so well would have wished her to face it."rs. Forestier was a very nice woman. (indly people often say that of a womanwhen they can say nothing about her, and it has come to be looked upon as coldpraise. & do not mean it as such. "rs. Forestier was neither charming, beautiful notintelligent on the contrary she was absurd, homely and foolish yet the more youknew her, the more you liked her, and when asked why you were forced to admitthat she was a very nice woman. She was as tall as the average man) she had a

large mouth and a great hooked nose, pale%blue short%sighted eyes, and big uglyhands. #er skin was lined and weather%beaten, but she made up heavily, and herhair, which she wore long, was dyed golden, tightly marcelled and elaboratelydressed. She did everything she could to counteract the aggressive masculinity ofher appearance, and succeeded only in looking like a vaudeville artist doing afemale impersonation. #er voice was a womans voice, but you were alwayse!pecting her, at the end of the number as it were, to break into a deep bass, andtearing o* that golden wig, discover a mans bald pate. She spent a great deal ofmoney on her clothes, which she got from the most fashionable dressmakers in+aris, but though a woman of fty she had an unfortunate taste for choosingdresses that looked e!$uisite on pretty little manne$uins in the ower of their

youth. She always wore a great $uantity of rich -ewels. #er movements wereawkward and her gestures clumsy. &f she went into a drawing%room where there wasa valuable piece of -ade she managed to sweep it to the oor if she lunched withyou and you had a set of glasses you treasured she was almost certain to smashone of them to atoms.et this ungainly e!terior sheltered a tender, romantic, and idealistic soul. &t took

you some time to discover this, for when rst you knew her you took her for a gure

of fun, and then when you knew her better /and had su*ered from her clumsiness0

she e!asperated you but when you did discover it, you thought yourself very stupid

not to have known it all the time, for then it looked out at you through those pale%

blue, near%sighted eyes, rather shyly, but with a sincerity that only a fool could miss.'hose dainty muslins and spring%like organdies, those virginal silks, clothed not the

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uncouth body, but the fresh girlish spirit. ou forgot that she broke your china and

looked like a man dressed up as a woman, you saw her as she saw herself, as

indeed she really was if reality were visible, as a dear little thing with a heart of

gold. 1hen you came to know her you found her as simple as a child she was

touchingly grateful for any attention you paid her her own kindness was innite,

you could ask her to do anything for you, however tiresome, and she would do it asthough by giving her the opportunity to put herself out you rendered her a service.

She had a rare capacity for disinterested love. ou knew that never an unkind nor

malicious thought had once passed through her head. And having granted all that

you said over again that "rs. Forestier was a very nice woman.

2nfortunately she was also a damned fool. 'his you discovered when you met her

husband. "rs. Forestier was American and Captain Forestier was 3nglish. "rs.

Forestier was born in +ortland, 4regon, and had never been to 3urope till the war of

5657, when, her rst husband having recently died, she -oined a hospital unit and

came to France. She was not rich by American standards, but by our 3nglish ones ina8uent circumstances. From the way the Forestiers lived & should guess that she

had something like thirty thousand a year. 3!cept that she undoubtedly gave the

wrong medicines to the wrong men, put on their bandages so they were worse than

useless, and broke every utensil that was breakable, & am sure that she was an

admirable nurse. & do not think that she ever found work too revolting for her to do

it without hesitation she certainly never spared herself and was surely never out of

temper & have a notion that many a poor wretch had cause to bless the tenderness

of her heart, and it may be that not a few took the last bitter steps into the

unknown with more courage because of the loving%kindness of her golden soul. &twas during the last year of the war that Captain Forestier came under her care, and

soon after peace was declared they married. 'hey settled down in a handsome villa

on the hills behind Cannes, and in a short time became conspicuous in the social life

of the 9iviera. Captain Forestier played bridge well and was a keen golfer. #e was

not a bad tennis player either. #e had a sailing boat and in the summer the

Forestiers gave very nice parties between the islands. After seventeen years of

marriage "rs. Forestier still adored her good%looking husband, and you were

unlikely to know her long without being told in that slow 1estern drawl of her hers

the full story of their courtship.

:&t was a case of love at rst sight, she said. : #e was brought in when & happenedto be o* duty, and when & came on and found him lying in one of my beds, oh, mydear, & felt such a pang in my heart, for a moment & thought &d been overworkingand had strained it. #e was the handsomest man &d ever seen in my life.:1as he badly wounded;:1ell, he wasnt e!actly wounded. ou know, its a most e!traordinary thing, hewent all through the war, he was under re for months at a time, and if course he

risked his life twenty times a day, hes one of those men who simply doesnt knowwhat fear is but he never even got a scratch. #e had carbuncles.

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&t seemed an unromantic ailment on which to start a passionate attachment. "rs.Forestier was a trie prudish, and though Captain Forestiers carbuncles greatlyinterested her she always found it a little di well of course he couldnt even think of that. =ut & dont believehis agonies were worse than mine. "en like clinging silks and soft, u*y things, you

know what & mean, and & was at such disadvantage in my nurses uniform. 'hematron, one of those ew 3ngland spinsters, couldnt bear make%up, and in thosedays & didnt make up anyway my rst husband never liked it and then my hairwasnt as pretty as it is now. #e used to look at me with those wonderful blue eyesof his, and & felt he must be thinking & looked a perfect sight. #e was very low and &thought & ought to do all & could to cheer him up so whenever & had a few minutes tospare &d go and talk to him. #e said he couldnt bear the thought of a strong, huskychap like he was lying in bed week after week while all his pals were in the trenches.ou couldnt talk to him without reali?ing that he was one of those men who neverfelt the -oy of life so intensely as when the bullets were whistling all around them,and the ne!t moment may be their last. Banger was a stimulant to him. & dont mindtelling you that when & used to write down his temperature on the chart & added apoint or two so that the doctors should think him worse than he was. & knew he wasdoing his damnedest to get them to discharge him, and & though it only fair to him

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to make sure that they wouldnt. #e used to look at me thoughtfully while & talkedaway and & know that he looked forward to our little chats. & told him that & was awidow and had no one dependent on me, and & told him that & was thinking ofsettling down in 3urope after the war. radually he thawed a little. #e didnt saymuch about himself, but he began to cha* me, he had a great sense of humour, youknow, and sometimes & really began to think that he rather liked me. At last they

reported him t for duty. 'o my surprise he asked me to dine with him on his lastevening. & managed to get leave from the matron and we drove in to +aris. ou cantimagine how handsome he looked in his uniform. &ve never seen anyone look sodistinguished. Aristocratic to the nger%tips. Somehow or other he wasnt in suchgood spirits as &d e!pected. #ed been cra?y to go back to the front.:D 1hy are you so down tonight;D & asked him. E After all, you youve got your wishat last.D:D & know & have,D he said. E &f for all that, & am a bit blue, cant you guess why;D:& simply dared not think what he meant. & thought &d better make a little -oke.:D &m not very good at guessing,D & said, with a laugh. E &f you want me to knowyoud better tell me.D:#e looked down and & could see he was nervous.:Douve been most awfully good to me,D he said. E & can never begin to thank youfor all your kindness. oure the grandest woman &ve ever known.D:&t upset me terribly to hear him say that. ou know how funny 3nglishmen are hed

never paid me a compliment before.:D&ve done what any competent nurse would have,D & said.:DShall & ever see you again;D he said.:D'hats up to you,D & said.: & hoped he didnt hear the tremble in my voice.:D & hate leaving you, E he said.

& really could hardly speak.:Deed you;D & said.:D So long as my (ing and Country want me & am at their service.D1hen "rs. Forestier reached this point her pale blue eyes lled with tears.:D =ut the war cant last for ever,D & said.:D1hen the war ends,D he answered, E supposing a bullet hasnt put an end to me, &shant have a penny. & dont even know how & should set about earning my living.oure a very rich woman &m a pauper.D

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:D oure an 3nglish gentleman,D & said.:D 1ill that matter very much when the world has been made safe for democracy;Dhe said bitterly.

:& was -ust crying my eyes out by then. 3verything he said was so beautiful. 4fcourse & saw what he meant. #e didnt think it honourable to ask me to marry him. &felt hed sooner die than let me think that he was after my money. #e was a neman. & knew that & wasnt worthy of him, but & saw that if & wanted him & must go outand get him myself.:D &ts no good pretending that & am not cra?y about you, because & am,D & said.:DBont make it harder for me, E he said hoarsely.:& thought & should die, & loved him so much when he said that. &t told me all &wanted to know. & stretched out my hand.:D1ill you marry me, 9obert;D & said, very simply.:D3leanor,E he said.:&t was then that he told me that he had loved me from the very rst day he eversaw me. At rst he hadnt taken it seriously, he thought that & was -ust a nurse andperhaps hed have an a*air with me, and then when he found out that & wasnt thatsort of woman and had a certain amount of money, he must con$uer his love. ou

see, he thought that marriage was $uite out of the $uestion.+robably nothing attered "rs. Forestier more than the idea that Captain Forestierhad wanted to have a slap and tickle with her. &t was certain that no one had evermade dishonourable proposals to her, and though Forestier hadnt either, theconviction that he had entertained the notion was a never%failing source ofsatisfaction to her. 1hen they were married 3leanors relations, hard%bitten 1esternpeople, had suggested that her husband should go to work rather than live on hermoney, and Captain Forestier was all for it. 'he only stipulation he made was this):'here are some thing a gentleman cant do 3leanor. Anything else &ll do gladly. od

knows, & dont attach any importance to that sort of thing, but if ones a sahib, onecant help it, and damn it all, especially in these days, one does owe something toones class.3leanor thought he had done enough in risking his life for his country in one bloodybattle after another during four long years, but she was too proud to let it be saidthat he was a fortune%hunter who had married her for her money, and she made upher mind not to ob-ect if he found something to do that was worth his while.2nfortunately, the only -obs that o*ered were not very important. =ut he did notturn them down on his own responsibility.:D&ts up to you, 3leanor, he told her, :ouve only got to say the word and &ll take it.&t would make my poor old governor turn in his grave to see me do it, but that cantbe helped. "y rst duty is to you.D

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3leanor wouldnt hear of it and gradually the idea of his working was dropped. 'heForestiers lived most of the year in their villa on the 9iviera. 'hey seldom went to3ngland 9obert said it was no place for a gentleman since the war, and all the goodfellow, white men every one of them, that he used to go about with when he was :one of the boys had been killed.

#e would have liked to spend his winters in 3ngland, three days a week with theuorn, that was the life for a man, but poor 3leanor, she would be so out of it in that

hunting set, he couldnt ask her to make that sacrice. 3leanor was prepared to

make any sacrice, but Captain Forestier shook his head. #e wasnt as young as he

had been, and his hunting days were over. #e was $uite satised to breed

Sealyhams and raise =u* 4rpingtons. 'hey had a good deal of land the house

stood on the top of a hill, on a plateau, surrounded on three sides by forest, and in

front, they had a garden. 3leanor said that he was never as happy as when he was

walking round the estate in an old tweed suit with the kennel%man, who also looked

after the chickens. &t was then you saw in him all those generations of countrys$uires that he had behind him. &t touched and amused 3leanor to see the long

talks he had with the kennel%man about the =u* 4rpingtons if was for all the world

as if were discussing the pheasants with his head%keeper) and he fussed over the

Sealyhams as much as if they had been the pack of hounds you couldnt help

feeling he would have been so much more at home with. Captain Forestiers great%

grandfather had been one of the bucks of the 9egency. &t was he who had ruined

the family so that the estates had to be sold. 'hey had a wonderful old place in

Shropshire, theyd had it for centuries, and 3leanor, even though it no longer

belonged to them, would have liked to go and see it but Captain Forestier said it

would be too painful to him and would never take her.