"Men in the trenches must have something to lift up their minds, and little things outside current of war will do it." It was a long speech for him to make and John felt its truth, but he atoned for it by complete silence while they listened to many tunes, mostly American, played on the mouth-organ.

John's mind continually went back to the great republic overseas, so safe and so sane.

While he was listening to the thin tinkle in the dark and snowy trench his friends were going to the great opera house in New York to hear "Aida" or "Lohengrin" maybe.

And yet he would not have been back there.

The wish did not occur to him.