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ulster and his overshoes … he had been raised by women … and came in； she
was standing by the fire。
〃Raining；〃 he said。 〃It's getting colder。 May be snow before morning。〃
Then he stopped。 Sometimes the wonder of Sara Lee got him in the
throat。 She had so much the look of being poised for flight。 Even in her
quietest moments there was that about her … a sort of repressed eagerness；
a look of seeing things far away。 Aunt Harriet said that there were times
when she had a 〃flighty〃 look。
And that night it was that impression of elusiveness that stopped
Harvey's amiable prattle about the weather and took him to her with his
arms out。
〃Sara Lee！〃 he said。 〃Don't look like that！〃
〃Like what？〃 said Sara Lee prosaically。
〃I don't know；〃 he muttered。 〃You … sometimes you look as though …〃
Then he put his arms round her。 〃I love you；〃 he said。 〃I'll be good to you；
Sara Lee； if you'll have me。〃 He bent down and put his cheek against hers。
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THE AMAZING INTERLUDE
〃If you'll only marry me； dear。〃
A woman has a way of thinking most clearly and lucidly when the man
has stopped thinking。 With his arms about her Harvey could only feel。 He
was trembling。 As for Sara Lee； instantly two pictures f1ashed through her
mind； each distinct； each clear； almost photographic。 One was of Anna； in
her tiny house down the street； dragged with a nursing baby。 The other was
that one from a magazine of a boy dying on a battlefield and crying
〃Mother！〃
Two sorts of maternity … one quiet； peaceful； not always beautiful； but
the thing by which and to which she had been reared； the other vicarious；
of all the world。
〃Don't you love me … that way？〃 he said； his cheek still against hers。
〃I don't know。〃
〃You don't know！〃
It was then that he straightened away from her and looked without
seeing at the blur of light which was the phonograph。 Sara Lee； glancing
up； saw him then as he was in the photograph； face set and head thrust
forward； and that clean…cut drive of jaw and backward flow of heavy hair
that marked him all man； and virile man。
She slipped her hand into his。
〃I do love you； Harvey；〃 she said； and went into his arms with the
complete surrender of a child。
He was outrageously happy。 He sat on the arm of Uncle James' chair
where she was almost swallowed up； and with his face against hers he
made his simple plans。 Now and then he kissed the little hollow under her
ear； and because he knew nothing of the abandon of a woman in a great
passion he missed nothing in her attitude。 Into her silence and passivity he
read the reflection of his own adoring love and thought it hers。
To be fair to Sara Lee； she imagined that her content in Harvey's
devotion was something mote； as much more as was necessary。 For in Sara
Lee's experience marriage was a thing compounded of affection； habit；
small differences and a home。 Of passion； that passion which later she was
to meet and suffer from； the terrible love that hurts and agonizes； she had
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THE AMAZING INTERLUDE
never even dreamed。
Great days were before Sara Lee。 She sat by the fire and knitted； and
behind the back drop on the great stage of the world was preparing；
unsuspected； the mise en scene。
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THE AMAZING INTERLUDE
CHAPTER II
About the middle of January Mabel Andrews A wrote to Sara Lee
from France； where she was already installed in a hospital at Calais。
The evening before the letter came Harvey had brought round the
engagement ring。 He had made a little money in war stocks； and into the
ring he had put every dollar of his profits … and a great love； and gentleness；
and hopes which he did not formulate even to himself。
It was a solitaire diamond； conventionally set； and larger； far larger；
than the modest little stone on which Harvey had been casting anxious
glances for months。
〃Do you like it； honey？〃 he asked anxiously。
Sara Lee looked at it on her finger。
〃It is lovely！ It … it's terrible！〃 said poor Sara Lee； and cried on his
shoulder。
Harvey was not subtle。 He had never even heard of Mabel Andrews；
and he had a tendency to restrict his war reading to the quarter column in
the morning paper entitled 〃Salient Points of the Day's War News。〃
What could he know； for instance； of wounded men who were hungry？
Which is what Mabel wrote about。
〃You said you could cook；〃 she had written。 〃Well； we need cooks； and
something to cook。 Sometime they'll have it all fixed； no doubt； but just
now it's awful； Sara Lee。 The British have money and food； plenty of it。
But here … yesterday I cut the clothes off a wounded Belgian boy。 He had
been forty…eight hours on a railway siding； without even soup or coffee。〃
It was early in the war then； and between Ypres and the sea stretched a
long thin line of Belgian trenches。 A frantic Belgian Government； thrust
out of its own land； was facing the problem； with scant funds and with no
materiel of any sort； for feeding that desolate little army。 France had her
own problems … her army； non…productive industrially； and the great and
constantly growing British forces quartered there； paying for what they got；
but requiring much。 The world knows now of the starvation of German…
… Page 14…
THE AMAZING INTERLUDE
occupied Belgium。 What it does not know and may never know is of the
struggle during those early days to feed the heroic Belgian Army in their
wet and almost untenable trenches。
Hospital trains they could improvise out of what rolling stock
remained to them。 Money could be borrowed； and was。 But food？
Clothing？ Ammunition？ In his little villa on the seacoast the Belgian King
knew that his soldiers were hungry； and paced the floor of his tiny living…
room； and over in an American city whose skyline was as pointed with
furnace turrets as Constantinople's is with mosques； over there Sara Lee
heard that call of hunger； and … put on her engagement ring。
Later on that evening； with Harvey's wide cheerful face turned
adoringly to her； Sara Lee formulated a question：
〃Don't you sometimes feel as though you'd like to go to France and
fight？〃
〃What for？〃
〃Well； the