stood at her garden gate and looked on. And after the cheering she
rubbed her eyes with her apron. Alice noticed this slight but
signifying action.

We feel quite sure Mrs Simpkins liked soldiers, and so we felt
friendly to her. But when we tried to talk to her she would not.
She told us to go along with us, do, and not bother her. And
Oswald, with his usual delicacy and good breeding, made the others
do as she said.

But we were not to be thus repulsed with impunity. We made
complete but cautious inquiries, and found out that the reason she
cried when she saw soldiers was that she had only one son, a boy.
He was twenty-two, and he had gone to the War last April. So that
she thought of him when she saw the soldiers, and that was why she
cried. Because when your son is at the wars you always think he is
being killed. I don't know why. A great many of them are not. If
I had a son at the wars I should never think he was dead till I
heard he was, and perhaps not then, considering everything. After
we had found this out we held a council.

Dora said, 'We must do something for the soldier's widowed mother.'

We all agreed, but added 'What?'

Alice said, 'The gift of money might be deemed an insult by that
proud, patriotic spirit. Besides, we haven't more than
eighteenpence among us.'

We had put what we had to father's L12 to buy the baccy and pipes.