Stepping on the Cracks

Margaret and Elizabeth ditch school to stay with Stuart, who is coughing and flushed with fever. Stuart is relieved to see them, calling Elizabeth the “angel of the battlefield” (110). The girls build up the fire in the hut and administer cough syrup, which they bought with money they saved for Christmas.

Stuart explains his desertion: He was trying to decide whether to be a conscientious objector when he was drafted. He quickly realized he hated the Army. Stuart shares a surprising letter from Donald, who condemns the war and urges Stuart not to believe “that patriotic stuff about dying for your country” (112). Margaret wonders if Jimmy has similar thoughts. It begins to snow heavily. Stuart asks Elizabeth to read the Thomas Hardy poem, “The Man He Killed.” Stuart tries ineffectually to convince Elizabeth that if neither man in the poem had shot at the other, they could have been friends.

Stuart deliriously raves about angels, going home, and stopping the war. Elizabeth declares that Stuart needs a doctor. The others agree, but Gordy tearfully resists. No one knows what to do. Margaret wishes she could stop the war.