In the days following the news of his wife's death, Gallagher appears to behave normally, and in his head, he refuses to believe she is dead. He continues receiving letters from her, which keeps her alive in his mind, until he realizes that as she approaches the birth of the child, she will die, and there will be no more letters from her. He tries to think of some way of preventing her death. The Chaplain suggests that it would be better if Gallagher did not see any more letters from Mary, but Gallagher tells him that if they take her letters away, Mary will die. The day after he receives Mary's final letter telling him that her pains have started, he wanders off alone, thinking about Mary, and remembering her.....
