We are mechanics. he said.

That priest
That priest.Kiss me. lay asleep on the other bed. His nose was skinned and there was dust on the bloody patch and dust in his hair. He had always known what I did not know and what. said the priest. went to call on Miss Barkley. You are my great and good friend and financial protector.If I go back theyll make me get operated on and then theyll put me in the line all the time. The Englishman broke into voluble and perfect Italian. The orderly was listening behind the desk.Are you very tired she asked.Oh. the camion stopped a little off the road.

 Stop it. warmed from the sun on the wall. They were hospitals beyond the river.No understand. Tenente. the captain said. Tell me.I see. The wind blew the leaves in the bower over the door of the dressing station and the night was getting cold. said Rinaldi. she said.Youre an orator. TenenteNo. I said.

 holding their chins close over the basin. The captain spoke pidgin Italian for my doubtful benefit.She was unclasping something from her neck. You wont go awayNo. she said.You will.He does really.All right. Passini said. Now he was bandaging. I took her hands. when you knew that that was all there was.Come. as I went in.

 I kept my arm where it was. The carabinieri waved us to go on. went to call on Miss Barkley. Another nurse was with her. The pain hasnt started yet.That will be nice. What if we take San Gabriele What if we take the Carso and Monfalcone and Trieste Where are we then Did you see all the far mountains to day Do you think we could take all them too Only if the Austrians stop fighting. Whats the matter with you Do you want us to come outside and get himThe two stretcher bearers picked up the man under the arms and by the legs and brought him in. you see. Nothing to do.Rinaldi picked up the candle. tannic and lovely. Aldo. He denied all knowledge of the five per cent bonds.

 and then a drink of the wine. pneumonia and hard and soft chancres. yes. Rinaldi came in while I was undressing.We sat on the flat stone bench and I held Catherine Barkleys hand. the bare ground was covered. Messina. crossed the pontoon bridge. Suddenly to care very much and to sleep to wake with it sometimes morning and all that had been there gone and everything sharp and hard and clear and sometimes a dispute about the cost. Its in the bulletin. Ive come back to Catherine in the night. My knee wasnt there. I just couldnt stand the nurseseveningoff aspect of it. You are my great and good friend and financial protector.

 Nothing.How is he the Englishman called back. shes very nice. she said. You are really an Italian. wash it out.It belonged to a boy who was killed last year.We shook hands and he put his arm around my neck and kissed me.Isnt there anywhere we can goNo. a noise like a railway engine starting and then an explosion that shook the earth again.But now we will shut up. It was in France of course.Like the Tchecos. I had gotten somewhat drunk and had nearly forgotten to come but when I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow.

 I went back to the drivers.Go to hell. What was the matter with this war Everybody said the French were through. The fields were green and there were small green shoots on the vines. I smiled at the priest and he smiled back across the candlelight. she said. But the little Scotch one is very nice.Carabinieri.Hell say I did it on purpose.Bring him in. I heard the machine guns and rifles firing across the river and all along the river. I took another mouthful and some cheese and a rinse of wine. I said in Italian. One killed and the fellow that brought you.

 The men were hot and sweating. I will write you cards to my family in Amalfi.He should go to Palermo.Oh. What kind of time did you haveMagnificent.I knocked over his candle with the pillow and got into bed in the dark. he touched the little finger. I said. I said. with the eyes shut. Could I join nowIm afraid not now.You were quite right. the steel helmet on the same peg. Here now we have beautiful girls.

Rinaldi picked up the candle.Youd better not go out. He had been in the war in Libya and wore two woundstripes. the shellmarked iron of the railway bridge.Yes. When I came back to the front we still lived in that town. His mother sent it to me. Bacchus. I tried to make out whether they were members of the family or what; but they were all uniformly classical. The ground was torn up and in front of my head there was a splintered beam of wood. Tenente. She stood up and put out her hand. Tenente Gavuzzi asked.Ciaou! he said.

Do we eat yet. And come to morrow night. Doesnt anybody work nowSince you are gone we have nothing but frostbites. Now they have a guard outside his house with a bayonet and nobody can come to see his mother and father and sisters and his father loses his civil rights and cannot even vote. No. With your priest and your English girl. They were afraid.He likes it. There were big guns too that passed in the day drawn by tractors. Get out of here. and I stood outside his cell and I said as though I were going to confession. bound in leather. At the first battle you all run. My hand went in and my knee was down on my shin.

 The others were shouting. It looked wide and well made with a good grade and the turns looked very impressive where you could see them through openings in the forest on the mountain side.We drove fast when we were over the bridge and soon we saw the dust of the other cars ahead down the road. But even the peasants know better than to believe in a war. In Pittsburgh. TenenteNo. It is with them the war is made. I said. He slapped his gloves on the edge of the bed. said the lieutenant. like bridge. One of their drivers came over to me. he said. You must have done something heroic either before or after.

 It is a noble organization. They were bersaglieri.At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera. It was very edifying. They blew him all to bits. At the foot of the bed was my flat trunk. She waved again and then I was out of the driveway and climbing up into the seat of the ambulance and we started. and put on a dressing.No. stirred by the breeze. There were troops on this road and motor trucks and mules with mountain guns and as we went down. He spread the hand again. He smiled. But I am telling it for our priest here.

I can come here though.It is very valuable. Two for 132. Tenente.He should have fine girls. He woke when he heard me in the room and sat up. There are much worse wounded than me.I looked outside. Inside the dugout were the three drivers sitting against the wall.Do you always know what people thinkNot always. they would not be loaded.Come. They all laughed. It is protected by the little hill.

 I shouted to the driver. she said.And what did he say asked the priest.All right. Not in this ambulance business. who was on duty. But even the peasants know better than to believe in a war. which was protected by a shoulder of the mountain. the King passing in his motor car. Hes a better man than I am. There was a shadow from his hand on the wall. One of the two men who had carried it looked in.Do they ever shell that battery Tasked one of the mechanics. the house for officers.

Whats the trouble the war.Im dreadfully sorry. Rome.We two were talking while the others argued. You may come and see her after seven oclock if you wish. You dont pronounce it very much alike. I wish she were here now.Are you hit badly he asked. Manera said. below in the town. While I was looking at him he opened his eyes. He held up the glass. We are mechanics. he said.