"I think that was almost the happiest day of my life and, with my
anxiety much modified, I was able to study Uncle Robert a little. He
seemed unchanged, save that he talked louder and was more excitable
than ever. The war had given him wide, new interests; he was a
captain and intended, if he could, to stop in the army. He had
escaped marvellously on many fields and seen much service. During
the last few weeks before the armistice, he succumbed to gassing and
was invalided; though, before that, he had also been out of action
from shell shock for two months. He made light of this; but I felt
there was really something different about him and suspected that
the shell shock accounted for the change. He was always excitable
and in extremes--now up in the clouds and now down in the
depths--but his terrible experiences had accentuated this
peculiarity and, despite his amiable manners and apparent good
spirits, both Michael and I felt that his nerves were highly strung
and that his judgment could hardly be relied upon. Indeed his
judgment was never a strong point.

"But he proved very jolly, though very egotistical. He talked for
hours about the war and what he had done to win his honours; and we
noticed particularly a feature of his conversation. His memory
failed him sometimes. By which I do not mean that he told us
anything contrary to fact; but he often repeated himself, and having
mentioned some adventure, would, after the lapse of an hour or less,
tell us the same story over again as something new.

"Michael explained to me afterwards that this defect was a serious
thing and probably indicated some brain trouble which might get
worse. I was too happy at our reconciliation, however, to feel any