Her spirit and her love revived under the magic of his touch. She caught his hand and pressed it against her burning cheek. It was cool and steady and sustaining--the hand of a brave man. "Poor child," he said gently. "I'm an uncomfortable sort of husband for you. But little accidents of this kind will happen to soldiers. Don't say you wish you hadn't married this one!" And he smiled. "No--no. But, Theo, did you get all these wounds and things trying to save the Boy?" "Yes; more or less." "And it wasn't a scrap of use?" "No. One had the satisfaction of killing the men who did for him. That was all!" "And you might just as well have come back strong and splendid, like you went away?" "No use thinking of what might have been, darling. We've got to set our teeth and face what _is_." "Oh, Theo--you are very brave." "Needs must, Ladybird. If a man fails in that, he had better not have been born. And you are going to be brave too,--my wife." "Yes,--I hope so. But--it's much more horrible than I ever imagined; and if it's going on for weeks and weeks----" The prospect so unnerved her that she leaned her head against him, sobbing bitterly. "Oh, I can't--I can't----!" The low cry came straight from her heart; and Desmond understood its broken protest to the full. The effort to uphold her was to be useless after all. He compressed his lips and gently released her hand. "If it's as bad as that, my dear, and you really feel it will be too much for you," he said in a changed tone, "I might arrange for Honor to take you away in a day or two, till I am well enough to follow on. They all know here that you are not strong. One need not degrade you by telling--the whole truth." "But, Theo, I couldn't leave you like that--just now, could I?" His smile had a hint of scorn. "Goodness knows! There is nothing to prevent you----" "Yes--there is!" she spoke hurriedly, with downcast eyes. "Honor would never take me. She thinks it's dreadful that I should go. I never saw her so angry before. She--she said--terrible things----" "Good God! What do--you--mean?" Desmond spoke slowly. Anger and amazement sounded in his deep voice; and his wife saw what she had done. "Theo!--Theo!" she cried, clasping her hands, and wringing them in distraction at her own foolishness, "I never meant to say that. I--I----" "No--but you meant to do it," he said, breathing hard and speaking with an effort. "You actually thought of--going--before I came? You would have simply--bolted, and left me to come back to an empty house, if Honor had not prevented you? Great heavens! I can well believe she said terrible things." His wife knelt upright now and caught at his hand. But he withdrew it hastily. "Theo--will you listen to me and not be so angry? You are very unkind!"