Marie rose early. She had arranged to borrow her cousins' wagon to return to her village and see what she could salvage from the remains of the farmhouse.

Her first stop was the cemetery, where the sight of the new grave where her mother was buried brought tears to her eyes. After a brief prayer she moved on.

Little Mathieu ran to meet her.

"Marie! Here's another letter for you!"

Marie put it into her pocket after thanking him. She had work to do. John's letter could wait.

It was heartbreaking work retrieving the family's possessions. Although most of the house was intact, she did not want to leave anything of value. She found her father's medal, and the Croix de guerre the General had presented to her father for her brother. There were the few photographs; her parents' wedding, her father in uniform. Some dressses and her father's suit. From the wreckage of the kitchen she retrieved some sacks of food. She would take it back so that they wouldn't be totally dependent on their cousins.

Finally the wagon was loaded. She sat down and took out John's letter.

John began by giving his condolences on her mother's death. He understood, he said, he had recently lost his father. The next paragraph caught her eye:

I understand that your father and General Matthieu were taken to the hospital together, and that you were joined by a lady. Cherie, that was my mother. She came over to visit family. The General is an old friend of hers. The shocker is that they are now engaged. I don't know how much you talked with each other - my mother didn't say anything in her letter - but I hope that you got along together. She is now all the family I have.

Marie felt a sudden surge of anger. Obviously she had not existed as far as Madame Johnson was concerned. And a woman who was going to marry a General would not care for a daughter-in-law who was a farmer's daughter.

The more she thought, the angrier she became. Men! She hated them. They caused the war that had cost her everything. And despite his fine words John was probably no different than Jean; he was just more subtle and patient about getting what he wanted. She remembered Sister Therese at the hospital. She had been kind. She did useful work. She should go and see her.

Several days later, John received Marie's letter. It was short.

Don't write me. Don't try to see me. I won't marry you.