The tears came to my eyes, tears of joy and pride, when I read the extract from Paul's wonderful letter to Hal. We had looked forward to Paul serving England in his life--great service for which his transcendent gifts seemed to mark him out. It has been ordained, however, that his service is by way of Calvary. We can only wonder what it all means. A colleague of mine in the Press Gallery wrote: He was a fine fellow and you had good reason to be proud of him. I was greatly struck by his last letter. It breathes a splendid spirit and reminds me of a passage in my favourite essay in Stevenson: "In the hot fit of life, a-tip-toe on the highest point of being, he passes at a bound on to the other side." An old friend who knew Paul well and whose two sons were educated at Dulwich College wrote: I grieve beyond measure at the passing of so noble-hearted a man. He, like others who have gone down in this horrible war, was of the very flower of our race--he even more than most of them; and the nation's loss is great, too. There are consolations even in such an affliction as yours; and the highest consolation of all must be that Paul willingly laid down his life for his fellow-men. From Major David Davies, M.P., Llandinam: Your gallant son's death brings to my mind a verse of Adam Lindsay Gordon's: "Many seek for peace and riches, length of days and life of ease; I have sought for one thing, which is fairer unto me than these; Often, too, I've heard the story, in my boyhood, of the doom Which the fates assigned me--Glory, coupled with an early tomb." Your son has covered himself with imperishable glory, though his promising young life has suddenly been cut off. Is it too much to hope that those great principles for which he fought so nobly will at last become the heritage of the whole world? He and those who have fallen with him will then have created a new earth, in which shall dwell peace and righteousness. I firmly believe it will be so; but it is up to us who are left behind to see to it that all the heroic sacrifices have not been made in vain, and that the "new order" will be worthy of those ideals which were cherished by the men who laid down their lives for them. Of the many messages that reached us, none touched a deeper chord than the following: _7th August, 1917._