He resorted to his old remedy when he was in trouble. He walked the
streets. He tried to allow for Natalie's lack of exaltation by the
nature of her life. If she could have seen what he had seen, surely she
would have felt, as he did, that no sacrifice could be too great to end
this cancer of the world. But deep in his heart he knew that Natalie
was--Natalie. Nothing would change her.
As it happened, he passed Graham on the Atlantic. There was a letter for
him at the office, a boyish, exultant letter: "Dad dear, I'm married!" it began. "Married and off for France. It is
Delight, of course. It always was Delight, altho I know that sounds
queer. And now I'm off to kill a Hun or two. More than that, I hope. I
want two Germans for every poor devil they got at the works. That's the
minimum. The maximum--!
"You'll look after Delight, I know. She has been perfectly bully, but
it's hard on her. We were married two days ago, and already I feel as
though I've always been married. She's going on with the canteen work,
and I shall try not to be jealous. She's popular! And if you'd seen
the General when we were married you'd have thought he was losing a
daughter.
"I wired Mother, but she was too cut up about my leaving to come. I wish
she had, for it was a strange sort of wedding. The division was about
to move, and at the last minute five girls turned up to be married to
fellows who were leaving. They came from all over, and believe me there
was some excitement. All day the General and Chaplain Haverford were
fussing about licenses, and those girls sat around and waited, and
looked droopy but sort of happy--you know what I mean.
"It was nine o'clock in the evening before everything was ready. Delight
had trimmed up the little church which is in the camp and had a flag
over the altar. Then we had a multiple wedding. Honestly! The organ
played a squeaky wedding march, and we went in, six couples. The church
was full of soldiers, and--I don't mind saying I was ready to shed
tears.
"We lined up, and Doctor Haverford married us. Delight says she is sure
we are only one-sixth married. Quiet! You never heard such quiet--except
for the General blowing his nose. I think myself he was weeping, and
there was a rumor about the camp to that effect. You know--the flag over
the altar, and all that. I tell you it made a fellow think.