Paterson’s head whipped down across his sprawled arms on the desk top and the sobs tore at his throat in great gusts that choked him. “Oh, God!” he sobbed. “What’s it all about, Hoyt? What’s the use of it?” “Steady, son! I don’t know. Nobody knows. It just happened, as everything happens. It’s much too late to talk causes. We’re here and we know what we have to do. That’s enough for us. It’s all we have anyway, so it must be enough.” He took his blood-soaked cigarette from his mouth and hurled it into a corner. It landed with a soft spat. Someone knocked at the door. “Come in.” It was the runner from squadron office. He saluted. “Yes?” said Hoyt. The man glanced at Paterson’s face and snapped his eyes quickly back to the captain’s. “Beg pardon, sir,” he said. “Squadron’s just been signalled through wing. One of the C Flight machines came down near B Battery, the 212th.” “Who was it?” asked Hoyt. “Lieutenant Mallard, they reported it, sir. That’ll be Lieutenant Mallory, sir, won’t it?” “Yes.” Hoyt’s voice was quite flat. “Thank you.” The man saluted again and shut the door. Hoyt dabbed at his cheek and reached into his desk drawer for another cigarette. Paterson stood up suddenly and grabbed his arm. “Listen, skipper!” Hoyt’s eyes met his calmly. “I’m going to tell you something. I’ll feel better if I do. I’ve been a weak sister in this flight. I’ve planned for days to go down and let myself be taken prisoner--to get out of it all. I’ve been sick of it--sick of it, d’y’ hear, until I couldn’t think straight. I wanted to get out alive. I wanted to get away in any way I could. This morning I broke. I let go and started down----” Hoyt smiled. “Your trouble, Pat, is that you think you’re the only person in this jolly old war.” Paterson stared at him. “But I did! I started down, out of it, this morning!” “How’d you get here?” asked Hoyt. “But if I hadn’t broken for that moment this morning----” “That’s a lie!” snapped Hoyt. “You’re talking poobah! I know how those things happen. If P-B hadn’t gone down after the two-seater they’d all be here now; and by the same reasoning, if my aunt wore trousers she’d be my uncle. The important thing is that it’s you and me now and nothing else matters. We’ll have four brand-new men to whip into shape to-morrow, and whatever you think of yourself, you’ve got to do it. I can’t do much, for I’ll be ahead, leading. You’ll be behind them and you’ll have to do it all. They’ll be frightened and nervous and green, but the job’s to be done. Understand? You’ve got to goad them on and get them out of trouble and watch them every minute, so that in time they’ll be as good as P-B and Trent--so that when their turn comes they can do for other green men what P-B and Trent did for you. Do you see now what this morning has done for you?” He paused for a moment, and then, in a lower tone--“Afraid? Who isn’t afraid? But it doesn’t do any good to brood over it.”