what 'e meant, now...."

"And what about Sherrie?" asked Sarah Brown.

"Oh, Sherrie, 'e never writes to me. But 'e promised too to come back in
the Spring, an' so 'e will, for there ain't no Boche bullet that can 'it
a magic man."

"It's springtime now," said Sarah Brown.

"It's springtime now," repeated Peony. "Ow, it's wonderful, seems like
as if I was gettin' too much given me, so as I can never repay. But I'm
keepin' count, I'm not forgettin'. It ain't long now before I'll pay my
debt. Come the middle o' May...."




CHAPTER IV

THE FORBIDDEN SANDWICH


While Sarah Brown's unenviable leisure was spent in acting as slave to
committees, she had at the same time a half-time profession which, when
she was well enough to follow it, brought twenty shillings a week to her
pocket. She was in the habit of sitting every morning in a small office,
collecting evidence from charitable spies about the Naughty Poor, and,
after wrapping the evidence in mysterious ciphers, writing it down very
beautifully upon little cards, so that the next spy might have the