She stopped again, rose, went to the sideboard, and poured herself out a little water.  Mark jumped up and took the glass jug from her hand.

“Rest now,” he begged, but she sipped the water and shook her head.

“I will rest when you have gone,” she answered; “but please come back again presently if you can give me a gleam of hope.”

“Be very sure of that, Mrs. Pendean.”

She went back to her seat while he also sat down again.  Then she resumed.

“The war altered everything and created a painful breach between my future husband and my Uncle Robert.  The latter instantly volunteered and rejoiced in the opportunity to seek adventure.  He joined a cavalry regiment and invited Michael to do the same; but my husband, though no more patriotic man lives—­I must speak still as though he lives, Mr. Brendon—­”

“Of course you must, Mrs. Pendean—­we must all think of him as living until the contrary is proved.”

“Thank you for saying that!  My husband had no mind for active warfare.  He was delicately built and of a gentle temperament.  The thought of engaging in hand-to-hand conflict was more than he could endure, and there were, of course, a thousand other ways open to him in which he could serve his country—­a man so skilful as he.”

“Of course there were.”

“Uncle Robert, however, made a personal thing of it.  Volunteers for active service were urgently demanded and he declared that in the ranks was the only place for any man of fighting age, who desired longer to call himself a man.  He represented the situation to his brothers, and Uncle Bendigo—­who had just retired, but who, belonging to the Naval Reserve, now joined up and soon took charge of some mine sweepers—­wrote very strongly as to what he thought was Michael’s duty.  From Italy Uncle Albert also declared his mind to the same purpose, and though I resented their attitude, the decision, of course, rested with Michael, not with me.  He was only five-and-twenty then and he had no desire but to do his duty.  There was nobody to advise him and, perceiving the danger of opposing my uncles’ wishes, he yielded and volunteered.

“But he was refused.  A doctor declared that a heart murmur made the necessary training quite impossible and I thanked God when I heard it.  The tribulations began then and Uncle Bob saw red about it, accusing Michael of evading his duty and of having bribed the doctor to get him off.  We had some very distressing scenes and I was thankful when my uncle went to France.

“At my own wish Michael married me and I informed my uncles that he had done so.  Relations were strained all round after that; but I did not care; and my husband only lived to please me.  Then, halfway through the war, came the universal call for workers; and seeing that men above combatant age, or incapacitated from fighting, were wanted up here at Princetown, Michael offered himself and we arrived together.