'Well then, he died on the field, and the Germans buried him.'
'In which case the poor soul will know nothing—ever,' said Hester sadly. 'But, of course, she believes he is a prisoner.'
'My dear Hester, if he were, we should certainly have heard! Enquiries are now much more thorough, and the results much more accurate, than they were a year ago.'
'Loss of memory?—shell-shock?' said Hester vaguely.
'They don't do away with your disk, and your regimental marks, etc. Whatever may happen to a private, an officer doesn't slip through and vanish like this, if he is still alive. The thing is perfectly clear.'
Hester shook her head without speaking. She was just as thoroughly convinced as Farrell that Nelly was a widow; but she did not see how anybody could proclaim it before Nelly did.
'I wonder how long it will take to convince her,' said Farrell, after a pause.
'Well, I suppose when peace comes, if there's no news then, she will have to give it up. By the way, when may one—legally—presume that one's husband is dead?' asked Hester, suddenly lifting her shrewd grey eyes to the face of her visitor.
'It used to be seven years. But I believe now you can go to the
Courts—'
'If a woman wants to re-marry? Well that, of course, Nelly Sarratt will never do!'