"I have no doubt I should have done so in a moment more," I said. "The fact is"—what cowards we are!—"I was preoccupied when you came in."
Black Hair looked adorably as if she didn't believe it.
"But anyway," I went on, "we must be serious. What would your people say?"
"We left word," said Red Hair, "that we were going off to do something for our country. They won't worry. Oh, please be kind and help us!"
Here all four of their beautiful eyes grew moist.
I could have hugged both of them, especially perhaps Black Hair, but I kept an iron hand on myself.
"You nice absurd creatures," I said, "do be reasonable. To begin with, passing the doctor is an absolute necessity. That shuts you out. But even if you got through, how do you think you would be helping your country? All the men would be falling in love with you; and that's bad enough as it is after working hours; it would be the ruin of discipline. And you could not bear the fatigue. No, go back and learn to be nurses and let your lovely hair grow again."
They were very obstinate and very unwilling to entertain the thought of drudgery such as nursing after all their dreams of excitement; but at last they came to reason, and I sent for a cab and packed them off in it (I simply could not bear the idea of other people seeing them in that masquerade), and told them that the sooner they changed the better.
After they had gone the Sergeant came in about something.
I said nothing, and he said nothing, each of us waiting for the other.