She had failed him! Behaved like a coward. Made it terrible for him at the very last. Oh, if he would only look at her again! The whole force of her despair went into that wish—and Leonard turned. A few yards farther down the platform he swung suddenly about, and finding her face among the crowd, he tilted his chin and flashed his white smile at her while his eyes lighted and his lips framed the word "Smile."
The band, which had been gathering impetus for the last moment, pealed forth "Rule Britannia." Marjorie smiled, smiled as she never had before, and kissed her hand. He waved his cap. It was among a forest of caps. The whistle shrieked. The guards slammed the doors. Through the fog the train was moving.
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves!
Britons never shall be slaves."
The crowds cheered. There came an acrid rush of smoke, which swallowed up the moving train with its cargo of khaki-clad boys. Above the cheering the hunchback, still dodging under the elbows of the crowd, was calling loudly,
"I came that they might have Life—Life—Life!"
The people stared down at the little sardonic face.
"Crazy?" they muttered.
The cripple shouted with laughter.
"Life—Life—Life!" he said.
When the smoke had cleared again, the tracks were empty, stretching away into blackness.