as attractive as usual. This perhaps made Mrs. Guthrie
all the more glad to see her.

"How kind of you to come!" exclaimed the old lady.
"But I'm sorry you find me alone. I rather hoped my
son might be back today. He had to go up to London
unexpectedly last Friday. He has an old friend in the
War Office, and I think it very likely that this man
may have wanted to consult him. I don't know if you
are aware that Alick once spent a long leave in Germany.
Although I miss him, I should be glad to think
he is doing something useful just now. But of course
I shouldn't at all have liked the thought of his beginning
again to fight -- and at his time of life!"

"I suppose a soldier is never too old to want to
fight," -- but even while she spoke, Mrs. Otway felt as
if she were saying something rather trite and foolish.
She was a little bit afraid of the old lady, and as she
sat down her cheeks grew even hotter than the walking
had made them, for she suddenly remembered Major
Guthrie's legacy.

"Yes, that's true, of course! And for the first two
or three days of last week I could see that Alick was
very much upset, in fact horribly depressed, by this
War. But I pretended to take no notice of it -- it's
always better to do that with a man! It's never the
slightest use being sympathetic -- it only makes people
more miserable. However, last Friday, after getting
a telegram, he became quite cheerful and like his old
self again. He wouldn't admit, even to me, that he had
heard from the War Office. But I put two and two
together! Of course, as he is in the Reserve, he may
find himself employed on some form of home defence.
I could see that Alick thinks that the Germans will

[[157]]

p156 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p157w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p158

v?