"
In the evening she set an iron-topped caf‚-table out on the sands, and Dick and
she sat by it, while the house behind them filled with riot, merriment, oaths,
and threats. The stars came out and the lights of the shipping in the harbour
twinkled by the head of the Canal.
"Yes. The war is good for trade, my friend; but what dost thou do here? We have
not forgotten thee."
"I was over there in England and I went blind."
"But there was the glory first. We heard of it here, even here--I and Binat;
and thou hast used the head of Yellow 'Tina--she is still alive--so often and
so well that 'Tina laughed when the papers arrived by the mail-boats. It was
always something that we here could recognise in the paintings. And then there
was always the glory and the money for thee."
"I am not poor--I shall pay you well."
"Not to me. Thou hast paid for everything." Under her breath, "Mon Dieu, to be
blind and so young! What horror!"
Dick could not see her face with the pity on it, or his own with the
discoloured hair at the temples. He did not feel the need of pity; he was too
anxious to get to the front once more, and explained his desire.
"And where? The Canal is full of the English ships. Sometimes they fire as they
used to do when the war was here--ten years ago.
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