"I can't understand your being able to think of me," he said.
"Because of Nicky? If I haven't got Nicky it's all the more reason why I should think of his people."
He looked up. "I say--how are they? Mother and Father?"
"They're very brave.
"It's worse for them than it is for me," she said. "What they can't bear is your going."
"Mother got my letter, then?"
"Yes. This morning."
"What did she say?"
"She said: 'Oh, no. Not Michael.'
"It was a good thing you wrote, though. Your letter made her cry. It made even Dorothy cry. They hadn't been able to, before."