But the world had changed.

Since a few men met around a table six or seven weeks before and sent a few dispatches a revolution had come.

Old customs, old ideas and old barriers were going fast, and might be going faster.

War, the leveler, was prodigiously at work.
These were tremendous things, but he had himself to think about too, and personality can often outweigh the universe.

Julie was gone, taking a lot of the light with her, but Picard was still there, and while he was grizzled and stern he was a friend.
John sat up quite straight and Picard did not try to keep him from it.
"Picard," he said, "you see me, don't you ?" "I do, sir, with these two good eyes of mine, as good as those in the head of any young man, and fifty is behind me." "That's because you're not intellectual, Picard, but we'll return to our lamb chops.