It was not only the death of Marie Ivanovna that was present with us, it was rather something that told us that now no individual life or death counted ...

individualities, personalities, were swallowed up in the sweeping urgency of a great climax.

Nikitin simply told me that a furious battle was raging some ten versts on the other side of the river, that we were to go at once to form a temporary hospital behind the lines in the Forest; that the nurses and the rest of the Otriad would remain in Mittoevo to wait for the main tide of the wounded, but that we were to go forward to help the army doctors.

He spoke very quietly.

We said nothing of Marie Ivanovna.
I dressed quickly and on going out found the wagons waiting, some fifteen or twenty sanitars and Trenchard and Andrey Vassilievitch.