But at last A different Elenor Murray than I knew There in the hospital took shape before me. That serving soul, that maid of humble tasks, And sacrifice for others, and that face Of waitress or of ingenue, day by day Assumed sophistication, looks and lines Of knowledge in the world, experience in places of patrician ways. She knew New York as well as I, cafés and shops; Dropped pregnant hints at times that made me think What more she knew, what she was holding back. Until at last all she had done for me Seemed just what mortals do to earn their bread In any calling, made more generous, maybe, By something in a moment's mood. In truth The ideal showed the clogged pores in the skin Under the light she stood in. For you know When we see people happy we can say Those tears were not all tears--we pitied more Than we were wise to pity--that's the feeling: Most men are Puritans in this, I think. A woman dancing, drinking, makes you laugh, And half despise yourself for great emotion When seeing her in prayer or reverent thought. But now I come to something more concrete: The day before the major came we lunched Where we could see the Mediterranean, The clubs, hotels and villas. There she sat All dressed in white, a knitted jacket of silk Matching the leaves upon the trees, and looked As fashionable as the rest. The waiter came. She did not take the card nor order from it, Was nonchalant, familiar, said at last: "We want some Epernay. You have it doubtless." The waiter bowed. I looked at Elenor, That was the character of revealing things I saw from day to day. For truth to tell This Epernay might well have been charged water For all I knew. I asked her, and she said: "Delicious wine, not strong." And so we lunched, And the music stormed, and lunchers gabbled, smoked, And dandies ogled. And this Epernay Worked in our blood and Elenor rattled on. And she was flinging eyes from right to left And moving rhythmically from hip to hip, And with a finger beating out the time. Somehow our hands touched, then she closed her eyes, Her body shook a little and grew limp. "What is the matter?" Then she raised her eyes And looked me through an instant. What, my dear, You won't hear any more? Oh, very well, That's all, there is no more.