AFarewellToArms
byErnestHemingway
Flyleaf:
ThegreatestAmericannoveltoemerge fromWorldWarI,_AFarewelltoArms_
cementedErnestHemingway'sreputationasoneofthemostimportantnovelistsofthe
twentiethcentur y.Drawnlargelyfrom Hemingway'sownexperiences,itisthestoryofa
volunteerambulancedriverwoundedontheItalianfront,thebeautifulBritishnursewith
whomhefal lsinlove,andtheirjourneytofindsomesmallsanctuaryinaworldgonemad
withwar.Byturnsbeautifulandtragic,tenderandharshlyrealistic,_AFarewellto Arms_
isoneofthesupremeliteraryachievemen tsofourtime.
Copyright1929 byCharlesScribner'sSons
Copyrightrenewed1957byErnestHemingway
SCRIBNER
1230AvenueoftheAmericas
NewYork,NY10020
Thisbookisaworkoffiction.Names,characters,places,
andincidentseitherareproductsoftheauthor'simaginationorar e
usedfictitiously.Anyresemblancetoactualeventsorlocalesorpersons,
livingordead,isentirelycoincidental.
Allrightsreservedincludingtherightofreproductioninwholeorinpartinanyform.
ISBN0684837889
AFAREWELLTOARMS
BOOKONE
1
Inthelatesummerofthatyearwelivedinahouseinavillagethatlookedacross
theriverandtheplaintothemountains.Inthebedoftherivertherewerepebblesand
boulders,dryandwhiteinthesun,and thewaterwasclearandswiftlymovingandbluein
thechannels.Troopswentbythehouseanddowntheroadandthedusttheyraised
powderedthel eavesofthetrees.Thetrunksofthetreestooweredustyandtheleaves
fellearlythatyearandwesawthetroopsmarchingalongtheroadandthedustrisingand
leaves,stirredbythebreeze,fallingandthesoldiersmarching andafterwardtheroad

bareandwhiteexceptfortheleaves.
Thepl ainwasrichwithcrops;thereweremanyor chardsoffruittreesandbeyond
theplainthemountainswerebrownandbare.Therewasfightinginthemountainsa ndat
nightwecouldseetheflashesfromtheartillery.Inthedarkitwaslikesummerlightning,
butthenightswerecoolandtherewasnotthefeelingofastormcoming.
Sometimesinthedarkweheardthetr oopsmarchingunderthewindowandguns
goingpastpulledbymotortractors.Therewasmuchtrafficatnightandmanymuleson
theroadswithb oxesofammunitiononeachsideoftheirpacksaddlesandgraymotor
trucksth atcarriedmen,andothertruckswi thloadscoveredwithcanvasthatmoved
slowerinthetraffic.Therewerebiggunstootha tpassedinthedaydrawnbytractors,the
longbarrelsofthegunscoveredwithgreenbranchesandgreenleafybranchesandvines
laidoverthetractors.Tothenorthwecouldlookacrossavalleyandseeaforestof
chestnuttreesandbehinditanothermountainonthissideoftheriver.Therewasfighting
forth atmount aintoo,butitwasnotsuccessful,andinthefallwhentherainscamethe
leavesallfellfromthechestnuttreesandthebrancheswerebareandthetrunksblack
withrain.Thevineyardswerethinandbarebranchedtooandallthecountrywetand
brownandde adwiththeautumn.Thereweremistsovertheriverandcloudsonthe
mountain andthetruckssplashedmudontheroadandthetroopsweremud dyandwetin
theircapes;theirrifleswerewetandundertheircapesthetwoleathercartridgeboxeson
thefr ontofthebelts,grayleatherboxesheavywiththepacksofclipsofthin,long6.5mm.
cartridges,bulgedforwardunderthecapessothatthemen,passingontheroad,marched
asthoughtheyweresixmonthsgonewithchild.
Thereweresmallgraymotorcarsthat passedgoingveryfast;usuallytherewasan
officerontheseatwiththedriverandmoreofficersinthebackseat.Theysplashedmore
mudthanthecamionsevenandifoneoftheofficersinthebackwasverysmallan d
sittingbetweentwogener als,hehimselfsosmallth atyoucouldnotseehisfacebutonly
thetopofhiscapandhisnarrowback,andifthecarwentespeciallyfastitwasprobably
theKing.HelivedinUdineandcameoutinthiswaynearlyeverydaytoseehowthings
weregoing,andthingswentverybadly.
Atthestartofthewintercamethepermanentrainandwiththeraincamethe

cholera.Butitwascheckedandintheendonlyseventhousanddiedofitinthearmy.
2
Thenextyearthereweremanyvictories.Themountainthatwasbeyondthevalley
andthehillsidewherethechestnutforestgrewwascapturedandtherewerevictories
beyondtheplainontheplateautothesouthandwecrossedtheriverinAugustandli ved
inahouseinGoriziathathadafountainandmanythickshadytreesinawalledgarden
andawistariavinepurpleonthesideofthehouse.Nowthefighting wasinthenext
mountains beyondandwasnotamileaway.Thetownwasveryniceandourhousewas
veryfine .The riverranbehindusandthetownhadbeencapturedveryhandsomelybut
themountainsbeyonditcouldnotbetakenandIwasverygladtheAustriansseemedto
wanttocomebacktothetownsometime,ifthewarshoulde nd,becausetheydidnot
bombardittodestroyitbutonlyalittleinamili taryway.Peoplelivedoninitandthere
werehospitalsandcafésandartilleryupsidestreetsandtwobawdyhouses,onefor
troopsandoneforofficers,andwiththeendofthesummer,thecoolnights,thefightingin
themountainsbeyondthetown,theshellmarkedironoftherailwaybridge,thesmashed
tunnelbytheriverwherethefightinghadbeen,thetreesaroundthesquareandthelong
avenueoftreesthatledtothesquare;thesewiththerebeinggirlsinthetown,theKing
passinginhismot orcar,sometimesnowseeinghisfaceandlittlelongneckedbodyand
grayb eardlikeagoat'schintuft;allthesewiththesuddeninteriorsofhousesthathadlost
awallthroughshelling,withplasteran drub bleintheirgardensandsometimesinthe
street,andthewholethinggoingwellontheCarsomadethefallverydifferentfromthe
lastfallwhenwehadbeeninthecountry.Thewarwaschangedtoo.
Theforestofoaktreesonthemountainbeyondthetownwasgone.Theforesthad
beengreeninthesummerwhenwehadcomeintothetownbutnowtherewerethe
stumpsandthebrokentrunksandthegroundtornup,andonedayattheendofthefall
whenIwasoutwheretheoakforesthadbeenIsawacloudcomingoverthemountain.It
cameveryfastandthesunwentadullyellowandtheneverythingwasgrayandthesky
wascoveredandthecloudcameondownthemountainandsuddenlywewereinitandit
wassnow.Thesnowslantedacrossthewind,thebaregroundwascovered,thestumps
oftreesprojected,therewassnowonthegunsandtherewerepathsinthesnowgoing

backtothelatrinesbehindtrenches.
Later ,belowinthetown,Iwatchedthesnowfalling,lookingoutofthewindowof
thebawdyhouse,thehouseforofficers,whereIsatwithafriendandtwoglassesdrinking
abottleofAsti,and,lookingoutatthesnowfallingslowlyandheavily,weknewitwasall
overforthatyear.Uptheriverthemountainshadnotbeentaken;noneo fthemountains
beyondtheriverhadbeentaken.Thatwasallleftfornextyear.Myfriendsawthepriest
fromourmessgoingbyinthestreet,walkingcarefullyintheslush,andpoundedonthe
windowtoattracthisattention.Thepriestlookedup.Hesawusandsmiled.Myfriend
motionedforhimtocomein.Thepriestshookhisheadandwenton.Thatnightinthe
messafterthespaghetticourse,whicheveryoneateveryquicklyandseriously,liftingthe
spaghettiontheforkuntiltheloosestrandshungclearthenloweringitintothemouth,or
elseusingacontinuousliftandsuckingintothemouth,helpingourselvestowinefromthe
grasscoveredgallonflask;itswun ginametalcradleandyoupulledtheneckoftheflask
downwiththeforefingerandthewine,clearred,tan nicandlovely,pouredoutintothe
glassheldwiththesameh and;afterthiscourse,thecaptaincommencedpickingonthe
priest.
Thepriestwasyoungandblushedeasilyandworeauniformliketherestofusbut
withacrossindarkredvelvetabovetheleftbreastpocketofhisgraytunic.Thecaptain
spokepidginItalianformydoubtfulbenefit,inorderthatImightunderstandperfectly,that
nothingshouldbelost.
"Priesttodaywithgirls,"thecaptainsaidlookingatthepriestandatme.Thepriest
smiledandblushedandshookhishead.Thiscaptainbaitedhimof ten.
"Nottrue?"askedthecaptain."TodayIseepriestwithgirls."
"No,"saidthepriest.Theotherofficerswereamusedatthebaiting.
"Priestnotwithgirls,"wentonthecaptain."Priestneverwithgirls,"heexplainedto
me.Hetookmyglassandfilledit,lookingatmyeyesallthetime,butnotlosingsightof
thepri est.
"Priesteverynightfiveagainstone."Everyoneatthetablelaughed."You
understand?Priesteverynightfiveagainstone."Hemadeagestureandlaughedloudly.
Thepriestaccepteditasajoke.

"ThePopewantstheAustrianstowinthewar,"themajorsaid."HelovesFranz
Joseph.That'swhere themoneycomesfrom.Iamanatheist."
"Di dyoueverreadthe'BlackPig'?"askedtheli eutenant."Iwillgetyouacopy.It
wasthatwhichshookmyfaith."
"Itisafilthyandvilebook,"saidthepriest." Youdonotreallylikeit."
"Itisveryvaluable,"saidthelieutenant."Ittellsyouaboutthosepriests.Youwill
likeit,"he saidtome.Ismiledatthepriestandhesmil edbackacrossthecandlelight.
"Don'tyour eadit," hesaid.
"Iwill getitforyou, "saidthelieuten ant.
"Allthinkingmenareatheists,"themajorsaid."IdonotbelieveintheFreeMasons
however."
"Ibelieve intheFreeMasons,"thelieutenantsaid."Itisanobleorganization."
SomeonecameinandasthedooropenedIcouldseethesnowfalling.
"Therewillbenomoreoffensivenowthatthesnowhascome,"Isaid.
"Certainlynot,"saidthemajor."Youshouldgoonleave.You shouldgotoRome,
Naples,Sicily"
"HeshouldvisitAmalfi,"saidthelieutenant."Iwillwriteyoucardstomyfamilyin
Amalfi.Theywillloveyoulikeason."
"Heshouldgoto Palermo."
"HeoughttogotoCapri."
"Iwouldlike youtoseeAbruzziandvisitmyfamilyatCapracotta,"saidthepriest.
"ListentohimtalkabouttheAbruzzi.There'smoresnowtherethanhere.He
doesn'twanttoseepeasants.Lethimgotocentresofcultureandcivilization."
"Heshouldhavefinegirls.IwillgiveyoutheaddressesofplacesinNaples.
Beautifulyounggirlsaccompaniedbytheirmothers.Ha!Ha!Ha!"Thecaptainspreadhis
handopen,thethumbupandfingersoutspreadaswhenyoumakeshadowpictures.
Therewasashadowfromhishandonthewall.HespokeagaininpidginItalian."Yougo
awaylikethis,"hepointedtothethumb,"andcomebacklikethis,"hetouchedthelittle
finger.Everyonelaughed.
"Look,"saidthecaptain.Hespreadthehandagain.Againthecandlelightmadeits

shadowsonthewall.Hestartedwiththeuprightthumbandnamedintheirorderthe
thumbandfourfingers,"sototenente(thethumb),tenente(firstfinger),capitano(next
finger),maggiore(nexttothelittlefinger),andte nentecolonello(thelittlefinger).Yougo
awaysototenente!Youcomeb acksotocolonello!"Theyalllaughed.Thecaptainwas
havingagreatsuccesswithfingergames.Helookedatthepriestandshouted,"Every
nightpriestfiveagainstone!"Theyalllaughedagain.
"Youmustgoonleaveatonce,"themajorsaid.
"Iwouldlike togowithyouandshowyouthings,"thelieutenantsaid.
"W henyoucomeba ckbringaphonograph."
"Bringgoodoperadisks."
"BringCaruso."
"Don'tbring Caruso.Hebellows."
"Don'tyouwishyoucouldbellowlikehim?"
"Hebellows.Isayhebellows!"
"Iwouldlike youtogotoAbruzzi,"thepriestsaid.Theotherswereshouting ."There
isgoodhunting.Youwouldlikethepeopleandthoughitiscolditisclearanddry.You
couldstaywithmyfamily.Myfatherisafamoushunter."
"Comeon,"saidthecaptain."Wegowhorehousebeforeitshuts."
"Goodnight,"Isaidtothepriest.
"Goodnight,"hesaid.
3
WhenIcamebacktothefrontwestilllivedinthattown.Thereweremanymore
gunsinthecountryaroundandthespringhadcome.The fieldsweregreenandthere
weresmallgreenshootsonthevines,thetreesalongtheroadhadsmallleavesanda
breezecamefromthesea.Isawthetownwiththe hillandtheoldcastleaboveitinacup
inthehillswiththemountainsbeyond,brownmountainswithalittlegreenontheirslopes.
Inthetownthereweremoreguns,therewer esomenewhospitals,youmetBritishmen
andsometimeswomen,onthestreet,andafewmorehouseshadbeenhitbyshellfire.Jt
waswarmandliketh espringandIwalkeddownthealleywayoftrees,warmedfromth e
sunonthewall,andfoundwestilllivedinthesamehouseandthatitalllookedthesame

aswhenIhadleftit.Thedoorwasopen,therewasasoldiersittingonabenchoutsidein
thesun,anambulancewaswaitingbythesidedoorandinsidethedoor,asIwentin,
therewasthesmellofmarblefloorsandhospital .ItwasallasIhadleftitexceptthatnow
itwasspring.Ilookedinthedoorofthebigroomandsawthemajorsittingathisdesk,the
windowopenandthesunlightcomi ngi ntotheroom.Hedidnotseemeand Ididnotknow
whethertogoinandreportorgoupstairsfirstandcleanup.Idecidedtogoonupstairs.
TheroomIsharedwiththelieutenantRinaldilookedoutonthecourtyard.The
windowwasopen,mybedwasmadeupwithblanketsandmythingshungonthewall,
thegasmaskinanoblongtincan,thesteelhelmetonthesamepeg.Atthefootofthe
bedwasmyflattrunk,andmywinterboots,theleathershinywithoil,wereonthetrunk.
MyAustrian sniper'sriflewithitsbluedoctagonbarrelandthelovelydarkwalnut,cheek
fitted,schutzenstock,hungoverthetwobeds.Thetelescopethatfitteditwas,I
remembered,lockedinthetrunk.Thelieutenant,Rinaldi,layasleepontheotherbed.He
wokewhenheheardmeintheroomandsatup.
"Ci aou!" hesaid."W hatkindoftimedidyouhave?"
"Magnificent."
Weshookhandsandheputhisarmaroundmyne ckandkissedme.
"Oughf ,"Isaid. 
"You'redirty,"hesaid."Yououghttowash.Wheredidyougoandwhatdidyoudo?
Tellmeeverythingatonce."
"Iwenteverywhere.Milan,Florence,Rome,Naples,VillaSanGiovanni,Messina,
Taormi na"
"Youtalklikeatimetable.Didyouhaveanybeautifuladventures?"
"Yes."
"W here?"
"Milano,Firenze,Roma,Nap oli"
"That'senough.Tellmereallywhatwasthebest."
"InMilano."
"Thatwasbecauseitwasfirst.Wheredidyoumeether?IntheCova?Wheredid
yougo?Howdidyoufeel?Tellmeeverythingatonce.Didyoustayallnight?"

"Yes."
"That'snothing.Herenowwehavebeautifulgi rls.Newgirlsneverbeentothefront
befor e."
"W onderful."
"Youdon'tbelieveme?Wewillgonowthisafternoonandsee.Andinthetownwe
havebeautifulEnglishgirls.IamnowinlovewithMissBarkley.Iwilltakeyoutocall.Iwill
probablymarryMissBarkley."
"Ihavetogetwash edandreport.Doesn'tanybodyworknow?"
"Sinceyouaregonewehavenothingbutfrostbites,chilblains,jaundice,gonorrhea,
selfinflictedwounds,pneumoniaandhardandsoftchancres.Everyweeksomeonegets
woundedbyrockfragments.Thereareafewrealwounded.Nextweekthewarstarts
again.Perhapsitstartagain.Theysayso.DoyouthinkIwoulddorighttomarryMiss
Barkleyafterthewarofcourse?"
"Absolutely,"Isaidandpouredthebasinfullofwater.
"Tonightyouwilltellmeeverything,"saidRinaldi."NowImustgobackto sleepto
befreshandbeautifulforMissBarkley."
Itookoffmytunicandshirtandwashedinthecoldwaterinthebasin.WhileI
rubbedmyselfwithatowelIlookedaroundtheroomandoutthewindowandatRinaldi
lyingwithhiseyes closedonthebed.Hewasgoodlooking,wasmyage,andhecame
fromAmalfi.Helovedbeingasurgeonandweweregrea tfriends.WhileIwaslookingat
himheopenedhiseyes.
"Haveyou anymoney?"
"Yes."
"Loanmefiftylire."
Idried myhandsandtookoutmypocketbookfromtheinsideofmytunichanging
onthewall.Rinalditookthenote,foldeditwithoutrisingfromthebedandsliditinhis
breechespocket.Hesmiled,"Imustmake onMissBarkleytheimpressionofamanof 
sufficientwealth.Youaremygreatandgoodfriendandfinancialprotector."
"Goto hell,"Isaid.
ThatnightatthemessIsatnexttothepriestandhewasdisappointedand

suddenlyhurtthatIhadnotgonetotheAbruzzi.HehadwrittentohisfatherthatIwas
comingandtheyhadmadepreparations.Imyselffeltasbadlyashedidandcouldnot
understandwhyIhadnotgone.ItwaswhatI hadwantedtodoandItriedtoexplainhow
onethinghadledtoanotherandfinallyhesawitandunderstoodthatIhadreallywanted
togoanditwasalmostallright.Ih addrunkmuchwineandafterwardcoffeeandStrega
andIexplained,winefully,howwedidnot dothethingswewantedtodo;weneverdid
suchthings.
Wetwowereta lkingwhiletheothersargued.IhadwantedtogotoAbruzzi.Ihad
gonetonoplacewheretheroadswerefrozenandhardasiron,whereitwasclearcold
anddryandthesnowwasdryandpowderyandharetracksinthesnowandthepeasants
tookofftheirhatsandcalledyouLordandther ewasgoodhunting.Ihadgonetonosuch
placebuttothesmokeofcafésandnightswhentheroomwhirledandyouneededtolook
atthewalltomakeitstop,nightsinbed,drunk,whenyouknewthatthatwasallthere
was,andthestrangeexcitementofwakingandnotknowingwhoitwaswithyou,andthe
worldallunrealinthedarkandsoexcitingthatyoumustresumeagai nunknowingan dnot
caringinthenight,surethatthiswasallandallandallandnotcaring.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.
Sometimesstillpleasantandfondandwarmandbreakfastandlunch.Sometimesall
nicenessgoneandgladtogetoutonthestreetbutalwaysanotherdaystartingandthen
anothernigh t.Itriedtotellaboutthenightandthedifferencebetweenthenightandthe
dayandhowthenightwasbetterunlessthedaywasverycleanandcoldandIcouldnot
tellit;asIcannottellitnow.Butifyouhavehadityouknow.Hehadnothaditbuthe
understoodthatIhadreallywantedtogototheAbruzzibuthadnotgoneandwewerestill
friends,withmanytastesalike,butwiththedifferencebetweenus.Hehadalwaysknown
whatIdidnotknowandwhat,whenIlearnedit,Iwasalwaysabletoforget.ButIdidnot
knowthatthen,althoughIlearneditlater.Inthemeanti mewewereallatthemess, the
mealwasfinished,andtheargumen twenton.Wetwost oppedtalkingandthecaptain
shouted,"Priestnothappy.Priestnothappywithoutgirls."
"Iamhappy,"saidthepriest.

"Priestnothappy.PriestwantsAustrianstowinthewar,"thecaptainsaid.The
other slistened.T hepriestshookhishead.
"No,"hesaid.
"Priestwantsusnevertoattack.Don'tyouwantusnevertoattack?"
"No.IfthereisawarIsupposewemustattack."
"Mustattack.Shallattack! "
Thepriestnodded.
"Leavehimalone,"themajorsaid."He'sallright."
"Hecan'tdoanythingaboutitanyway,"thecaptainsaid.Weallgotupandleftthe
table.
4
ThebatteryinthenextgardenwokemeinthemorningandIsawthesuncoming
throu ghthewindowandgotoutofthebed.Iwenttothewindowandlookedout.The
gravelpathsweremoistandthegrasswaswetwithdew.Thebatteryfiredtwiceandthe
aircameeachtimelikeablowandshookthewindowandmadethefrontofmypajamas
flap.Icouldnotseethegunsbuttheywereevidentlyfiring directlyoverus.Itwasa
nuisancetohavethemtherebutitwasacomfortthattheywerenobigger.AsIlookedout
atthegardenIheardamotortruckstartingontheroad.Idressed, wentdownstairs,had
somecoffeeinthekitchenandwentouttothegarag e.
Tencarswerelinedupsidebysideunderthelongshed.Theyweretopheavy,
bluntnosedambulances,paintedgrayandbuiltlikemovingvans.Themechanicswere
workingononeoutintheyard.Threeotherswereu pinthemountainsatdressing
stations.
"Dothey eversh ellthatbattery?"Taskedon eofthemechanics.
"No,SignorTenente.Itisprotectedbythelittlehill."
"How'severything?"
"Notsob ad.T hismachineisnogoodbuttheothersmarch."Hestoppedworking
andsmiled."Wereyouonpermission?"
"Yes."
Hewipedhishandsonhisjumperandgrinned."Youhaveagoodtime?"The

other sallgrinnedtoo.
"Fine,"Isaid."What'sthematterwiththismachine?"
"It'snogood.Onethingafteranother."
"W hat'sthematternow?"
"Newrings."
Ileftthemworking,thecarlookingdisgracedandemptywiththeengineopenand
partsspreadontheworkbench,andwen tinundertheshedandlookedateachofthe
cars.Theywere moderatelyclean,afewfreshlywashed,theothersdusty.Ilooked atthe
tirescarefully,lookingforcutsorstonebruises.Everythingseemedingoodcondition.It
evidentlymade nodifferencewhetherIwastheretolookafterthingsornot.Ihad
imaginedthattheconditionofthecars,whetherornotthingswereobtainable,thesmooth
functioningofthebusinessofremovingwoundedandsickfromthedressingstations,
haulingthembackfromthemountai nstotheclearingstationandthendistributingthemto 
thehospitalsnamedontheirpapers,dependedtoaconsiderableextentonmyself.
EvidentlyitdidnotmatterwhetherIwasthereornot.
"Hastherebeenanytroublegettingparts?"Iaskedthesergeantmechan ic.
"No,SignorTenente."
"W hereisthega solineparknow?"
"Atthesameplace ."
"Good, "Isaidandwentbacktotheho useanddrankanotherbowlofcoffeeatthe
messtable.Thecoffeewasapalegrayandsweetwithcondensedmilk.Outsidethe
windowitwasalovelyspringmorning.Therewasthatbeginningofafeelingofdrynessin
thenosethatmeantth edaywouldbehotlateron.ThatdayIvisitedthepostsinthe
mountains andwasbackintownlateintheafternoon.
ThewholethingseemedtorunbetterwhileI wasaway.Theof fensivewasgoingto
starta gainIheard.Thedivisionforwhichweworkedweretoattackataplaceuptheriver
andthemajortoldmethatIwouldseeaboutthepostsforduringtheattack.Theattack
wouldcrosstheriverupabovethenarrowgorgeandspreadupthehillside.Thepostsfor
thecarswouldhavetobeasneartheriverastheycouldgetandkeepcovered.They
would,ofcourse,beselectedbytheinfantrybutweweresupposedtoworkitout.Itwas

oneofthosethingsthatgaveyouafalsefeelingofsoldiering.
Iwasverydustyanddi rtyandwentuptomyroomtowash.Rinaldiwassittingon
thebedwithacopyofHugo'sEnglishgrammar.Hewasdressed,worehisblackboots,
andhishairshone.
"Splendid,"hesaidwhenhesawme."Youwillcomewithmet oseeMissBarkley."
"No.
"Yes.Youwill pleasecomeandmakemeagoodimpression onher."
"Allri ght.WaittillIgetcleanedup."
"W ashupandcomeasyouare."
Iwashed,brush edmyhairandwestarted.
"W aitami nute,"Rinaldisaid."Perhapsweshouldhaveadrink."Heopenedhis
trunkandtookoutabottle.
"NotStrega,"Isaid.
"No.Grappa."
"Allri ght."
Hepouredtwoglassesandwetouchedthem,firstfingersextended.Thegrappa
wasverystrong.
"Another?"
"Allri ght,"Isaid.W edrankthesecondgrappa,Rinaldiputawaythebottleandwe
wentdownthestairs.Itwashotwalkingthroughthet ownbutthesunwasstartingtogo
downanditwasverypleasant.TheBritishhospitalwasabigvillabuiltbyGermansbefore
thewar.MissBarkleywasinthegarden.Another nursewaswithher.Wesawthei rwhite
uniformsthrou ghthetreesandwalkedtowardthem.Rinaldisaluted.Isalutedtoobut
moremoderately.
"Howdoyoudo?"MissBarkleysaid."You'renotanItalian,areyou?"
"Oh,no."
Rinaldiwastalkingwiththeothernurse.Theywerelaughing."Whatanoddthing
tobeintheItalianarmy."
"It'snotreallythearmy.It'sonlytheambulance."
"It'sveryoddthough.Whydidyoudoit?"

"Idon'tknow,"Isaid. "Thereisn'talwaysanexplanationforeverything."
"Oh,isn'tthere?Iwasbroughtuptothinktherewas."
"That'sawfullynice."
"Dowehavetogoonandtalkthisway?"
"No,"Isaid.
"That'sarelief.Isn'tit?"
"W hatisthestick?"Iasked.MissBarkleywasquitetall.Sheworewhatseemed to
metobeanurse'suniform,wasblondeandhadatawnyskinandgraye yes.Ithoughtshe
wasverybea utiful.Shewascarryingathinrattansticklikeatoyridingcrop,boundin
leather.
"Itbelongedtoaboywho waskilledlastyear."
"I'mawfullysorry."
"Hewasaveryniceboy.Hewasgoingtomarrymeandhewaskilledinthe
Somme."
"Itwasaghastlyshow."
"W ereyouthere?"
"No."
"I'vehear daboutit,"shesaid."There'snotreallyanywarofthatsortdownhere.
Theysentmethelittlestick.Hismothersentittome.Theyreturneditwithhisthings."
"Hadyoubeenengagedlong?"
"Eightyears.Wegrewuptogether."
"Andwhydidn'tyoumarry?"
"Idon'tknow,"shesai d."Iwasafoolnotto.Icouldhavegivenhimthatanyway.
ButIthoughti twouldbebadforhim." 
"Isee."
"Haveyou everlovedanyone?"
"No,"Isaid.
WesatdownonabenchandIlookedather.
"Youhavebeautifulhair," Isaid.
"Doyoulikeit?"

"Verymuch."
"Iwasgoingtocutitalloffwhenhedied."
"No."
"Iwantedtodosomethingforhim.You seeIdidn'tcareabouttheotherthingand
hecouldhavehaditall.HecouldhavehadanythinghewantedifIwouldhavekn own.I
wouldhavemarriedhimoranything.Iknowallaboutitnow.Butthenhewantedtogoto
warandIdidn'tknow."
Ididnotsayanything.
"Ididn'tknowaboutanythingthen.Ithoughtitwouldbeworseforhim.Ithought
perhapshecouldn'tstanditandthenofcoursehewaskilledandthatwastheendofit."
"Idon'tknow."
"Oh,yes, "shesaid."That'stheendofit."
WelookedatRinalditalkingwiththeothernurse.
"W hatishername?"
"Ferguson.HelenFerguson.Yourfriendisadoctor,isn'the?"
"Yes.He'sverygood."
"That'ssplendid.Yourarelyfindanyoneanygoodthisclosetothefront.Thisis
closetothefront,i sn'tit?"
"Quite."
"It'sasillyfront,"shesaid."Butit'sverybeautiful.Aretheygoingtohavean
offensive?"
"Yes."
"Thenwe'llhavetowork.There'snoworknow."
"Haveyou donenursing long?"
"Sincetheendof'fifteen.Istartedwhenhedid.Irememberhavingasillyideahe
mightcometothehospi talwhereIwas.Withasabrecut,Isuppose,andabandage
aroundhishead.Orshotthroughtheshoulder.Somethingpicturesque."
"Thisisthepicturesquefront,"Isaid.
"Yes,"she said."Peoplecan'trealizewhatFranceislike.Iftheydid,i tcouldn'tall
goon.Hedidn'thaveasabrecut.Theyblewhimallto bits."

Ididn'tsayanything.
"Doyousupposeitwillalwaysgoon?"
"No."
"W hat'stostopit?"
"Itwillcracksomewhere." 
"W e'llcrack.We'llcrackinFrance.Theycan'tgoondoingthingsliketheSomme
andnotcrack."
"Theywon'tcrackhere,"Isaid.
"Youthinknot?"
"No.Theydidverywelllastsummer."
"Theymaycrack,"shesaid."Anybodymaycrack."
"TheGermanstoo."
"No,"shesaid."Ithinknot."
WewentovertowardRinaldian dMissFergu son.
"YouloveItaly?"RinaldiaskedMissFergusoninEnglish.
"Quitewell."
"Nounderstand,"Rinaldishookhishead.
"Abbastanzabene,"Itranslated.
Heshookhishead.
"Thatisnotgood.YouloveEngland?"
"Nottoowell.I'mScotch,yousee."
Rinaldilookedatmeblankly.
"She'sScotch,soshelovesScotlandbetterthanEngland,"IsaidinItalian.
"ButScotlandisEngland."
Itran slatedthisforMissFerguson.
"Pasencore,"saidMissFerguson.
"Notreally?"
"Never.WedonotliketheEnglish."
"NotliketheEnglish?NotlikeMissBarkley?"
"Oh,th at'sdifferent.Youmustn'ttakeeverythingsoliterally."

Afterawhilewesaidgoodnightandleft.WalkinghomeRinaldisaid,"MissBarkley
prefe rsyoutome.Thatisveryclear.ButthelittleScotchoneisverynice."
"Very,"Isaid.Ihadnotnoticedher." You likeher?"
"No,"saidRinaldi.
5
ThenextafternoonIwenttocallonMissBarkleyagain.Shewasnotinthegarden
andIwenttothesidedoorofthevillawheretheambulancesdroveup.Inside Isawthe
headnurse,whosaidMissBarkleywasonduty"there'sawaron,youknow."
IsaidIknew.
"You'retheAmeri canintheItalianarmy?"sheasked.
"Yes,ma'am."
"Howdidyouhappentodothat?Whydidn'tyoujoinu pwithus?"
"Idon'tknow,"Isaid. "CouldIjoinnow?"
"I'mafraidnotnow.Tellme.Whydidyoujoinupwiththe Italians?"
"IwasinItaly,"Isaid,"andIspokeItalian."
"Oh,"shesaid."I'mlearningit.It'sbeautifullanguage."
"Somebodysaidyoushouldbeabletolearnitintwoweeks."
"Oh,I'llnotlearnitintwoweeks.I'vestudieditformonthsnow.Youmaycomeand
seeherafterseveno'clockifyouwish.She'llbeoffthen.Butdon'tbringalotofItalians."
"Notevenforthebeautifullanguage? "
"No.Norforthebeautiful uniforms."
"Good evening,"Isaid.
"Arivederci,Tenente."
"Arivederla."Isalutedandwen tout.Itwasimpossibletosaluteforeignersasan
Italian,withoutembarrassment.TheItaliansaluteneverseemedmadeforexport.
Thedayhadbeenhot.Ihadbeenuptheriverto thebridgeheadatPlava.Itwas
therethattheoffensivewastobegin.Ithadbeenimpossibletoadvanceonthefarside
theyearbeforebecausetherewasonlyoneroadleadingdownfromthepasstot he
pontoonbridgeanditwasundermachine gunandshellfirefornearlyamile.Itwasnot
wideenougheithertocarryallthetransportforanoffensiveandtheAustrianscouldmake

ashamblesoutofit.ButtheItalianshadcrossedandspreadoutalittlewayonthefar
sidetoholdaboutamileandahalfontheAustriansideoftheriver.Itwasanastyplace
andtheAustriansshouldnothaveletthemholdit.Isupposeitwasmutualtolerance
becausetheAustriansstillkeptabridgeheadfurtherdowntheriver.TheAustriantrenches
wereaboveonthehillsideonlyafewyardsfromtheItalianlines.Therehadbeenalittle
townbutitwasallrubble.Therewaswhatwasleftofarailwaystationand asmashed
permanentbridgethatcouldnotberepairedandusedbecauseitwasinplainsight.
Iwentalongthenarrowroaddowntowardtheriver,leftthecaratthedressing
stationunderthehill,crossedthepontoonbridge,whichwasprotectedbyashoulderof
themountain,andwentthroughthetrenchesinthesmasheddowntownandalongthe
edgeoftheslope.Everybodywasinthedugouts.Therewereracksofrocketsstandingto
betouchedofftocallforhelpfromtheartilleryortosignalwithifthetelephonewireswere
cut.Itwasquiet,hotanddirty.Ilookedacrossthewir eattheAustrianlines.Nobodywas
insight.IhadadrinkwithacaptainthatIknewinoneofthedugoutsandwentback
acrossthebridge.
Anewwideroadwasbeingfinishedthatwouldgoo verthemountainandzigzag
downtothebri dge.Whenthisroadwasfinishedtheoffensivewouldstart.Itcamedown
throu ghtheforestinsharpturns.Thesystemwastobringeverythingdownthenewroad
andtaketheemptytrucks,cartsandloadedambulancesandallreturningtrafficuptheold
narrowroad.ThedressingstationwasontheAustriansideoftheriverundertheedgeof
thehillandstret cherbearerswouldbringthewoundedbackacrossthepontoonbridge.It
wouldbethesamewhentheoffensivestarted.AsfarasIcouldmakeoutthelastmileor
soofthenewroadwhereitstartedtoleveloutwouldbeabletobeshelledsteadilybythe
Austrians.Itlookedasthoughitmightbeamess.ButIfoundaplacewherethecars
wouldbeshelteredaftertheypassedthatlastbadlooking bitandcouldwaitforthe
woundedtobebroughtacrossthepontoonbridge.Iwouldhavelikedtodriveoverthe
newroadbutitwasnotyetfini shed.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.Thecarswouldbeallrightwiththeirgoodmetaltometalbrakes
andanyway,comingdown,theywouldnotbeloaded.Idrovebackupthenarrowroad.

Twocarabinieri heldthecarup.Ashellhadfallenandwhilewewaitedthreeothers
felluptheroad.Theywereseventysevensandcamewithawhishingrushofair,ahard
brightburstandflashandthengraysmokethatblewacrosstheroad.Thecarabinieri
wavedustogoon.PassingwheretheshellshadlandedIavoidedthesmallbroken
placesandsmelledthehighexplosiveandthesmellofblastedclayandstoneandfreshly
shatteredflint.IdrovebacktoGoriziaandourvillaand,asIsaid,wenttocallonMiss
Barkley,whowasonduty.
AtdinnerIateveryquicklyandleftforthevillawher etheBritishhadtheirhospital.
Itwasreall yverylargeandbeautifulandtherewerefinetreesinthegrounds.Miss
Barkleywassittingonabenchinthegarden.MissFergusonwaswithher.Theyseemed
gladtoseemeandinalittlewhileMissFergusonexcusedherselfandwentaway.
"I'llleaveyoutwo,"shesaid."Yougetalongverywellwitho utme."
"Don'tgo,Helen,"MissBarkleysaid.
"I'dreallyrather.Imustwri tesomeletters."
"Goodnight,"Isaid.
"Goodnight,Mr.Henry."
"Don'twriteanythingthatwillbotherthecensor."
"Don'tworry.Ionlywriteaboutwhatabeautifulplaceweliveinandhowbravethe
Italiansare."
"Thatwayyou'llbedecorated."
"Thatwillbenice.Goodnight,Catherine."
"I'llseeyouinalittlewhile,"MissBarkleysaid.MissFergusonwalkedawayinthe
dark.
"She'snice,"Isaid.
"Oh,yes, she'sverynice.She'sanurse."
"Aren'tyouanurse?"
"Oh,no.I'msomethingcalled aV.A.D.Weworkveryhardbutnoonetrustsus."
"W hynot?"
"Theydon'ttrustuswhenthere'sno thinggoingon.Whenthereisreallyworkthey
trustus."

"W hatisthediffer ence?"
"Anurseislikeadoctor.Ittakesalongtimetobe.AV.A.D.isashortcut."
"Isee."
"TheItaliansdidn'twantwomensonearthefront.Sowe'reallonveryspecial
behavior.Wedon'tgoout."
"Icancomeherethough."
"Oh,yes. We'renotcloistered."
"Let'sdropthewar."
"It'sveryhard.There'snoplacetodropit."
"Let'sdropitanyway."
"Allri ght."
Welookedateachotherinthedark.IthoughtshewasverybeautifulandItookher
hand.Shel etmetakeitandIhelditandputmyarmaroundunderherarm.
"No,"shesaid.Ikeptmyarmwhereitwas.
"W hynot?"
"No."
"Yes,"Isaid."Please."Ileanedforwardinthedarktokissherandtherewasa
sharp stingingflash.Shehadslappedmyfacehard.Herhandhadhitmynoseandeyes,
andtearscameinmyeyesfromthereflex.
"I'msosorry,"shesaid.IfeltIhadacertainadvantage.
"Youwerequiteright."
"I'mdreadfullysorry,"shesaid."Ijustcouldn'tstandthenurse'seveningoffaspect
ofit.Ididn'tmeantohurtyou.Ididhurtyou,di dn'tI?"
Shewaslookingatmeinthedark.Iwasangryandyetcertain,seeingitallahead
likethemovesi nachessgame.
"Youdidexactlyright,"Isaid."Idon'tmindatall."
"Poorman."
"YouseeI'vebeenleadingasortofafunnylife.AndInevereventalkEnglish.And
thenyouaresoverybeautiful."Ilookedather.
"Youdon'tneedtosayal otofnonsense.IsaidIwassorry.Wedogetalong."

"Yes,"Isaid."Andwe havegottenawayfromthe war."
Shel aughed.ItwasthefirsttimeIhadeverheardherlaugh.Iwatchedherface.
"Youaresweet,"shesaid.
"No,I'mnot."
"Yes.Youareadear.I'dbegladtokissyouifyoudon'tmind."
IlookedinhereyesandputmyarmaroundherasIhadbe foreandkissedher.I
kissedherhardandheldhertightandtriedtoopenherlips;theywerecl osedtight.Iwas
stillangryandasIheldhersuddenlysheshi vered.Iheldhercloseagainstmeandcould
feelherheartbeatingandherlipsopenedandherheadwentbackagainstmyhandand
thenshewascryingonmyshoulder.
"Oh,darling," shesaid."Youwillbegoodtome,won'tyou?"
Whatthehell,Ithought.Istrokedherhairandpattedhershoulder.Shewascrying.
"Youwill,won'tyou?"Shelookedupatme."Becausewe'regoingtohavea
strangelife."
AfterawhileIwalkedwithhertothedoorofthevillaandshewentinandIwalked
home.BackatthevillaIwentupstairstotheroom.Rinaldiwaslyingonhisbed.He
lookedatme.
"SoyoumakeprogresswithMissBarkley?"
"W earefriends."
"Youhavethatpleasantairofadoginheat."
Ididnotunderstandtheword.
"Ofawhat?"
Heexplained.
"You,"Isai d,"ha vethatpleasantairofadogwho"
"Stopit,"hesaid."Inalittlewhilewewouldsayi nsultingthings."Helaughed.
"Goodnight,"Isaid.
"Goodnight,littlepuppy."
Iknockedoverhiscandlewiththepillowandgotintobedinthedark.
Rinaldipickedupthecandle,lititandwentonreading.
6

Iwasawayfortwodaysattheposts.WhenIgothomeitwastoolateandIdidnot
seeMissBar kleyuntilthenextevening.ShewasnotinthegardenandIhadtowaitinthe
officeofthehospitaluntilshecamedown.Thereweremanymarblebustsonpainted
woodenpillarsalongthewallsoftheroomtheyusedforanoffice.Thehalltoo,thatthe
officeopenedon,waslinedwiththem.Theyhadthecompletemarblequalityofalllooking
alike.Sculpturehadalwaysseemeda dullbusinessstill,bronzeslookedlikesomething.
But marblebustsalllookedlikeacemetery.Therewasonefinecemeterythoughtheone
atPisa.Genoawastheplacetoseethebadmarbles.Thishadbeenthevillaofavery
wealthyGermanandthebustsmusthavecosthimplenty.Iwonderedwhohaddonethem
andhowmuchhe got.Itriedtomakeoutwhethertheyweremembersofthefamilyor
what;buttheywerealluniformlyclassical.Youcouldnottellanythingaboutthem.
Isatonachairandheldmycap.Weweresupposedtowearsteelhel metsevenin
Goriziabuttheywereuncomfortablea ndtoobloodytheatricalinatownwherethecivilian
inhabitantshadnotbeenevacuated.Iworeonewhenwewentuptothepostsandcarried
anEnglishgasmask.Wewerejustbeginningtogetsomeofthem.Theywereareal
mask.Alsowewererequiredtowearanautomaticpistol;evendoctorsandsanitary
officers.Ifeltitagainstthebackofthechair.Youwereliabletoarrestifyoudidnothave
oneworninplainsight.Rinaldicarriedaholsterstuffedwithtoiletpaper.Iworearealone
andfeltlikeagunmanuntilIpractisedfiringit.ItwasanAstra7.65caliberwithashort
barrelanditjumpedsosharplywhenyouletitoffthattherewasnoquestionofhitting
anything.Ipractisedwithit,holdingbelowthetargetandtryingtomasterthejerkofthe
ridiculousshortbarreluntilIcouldhitwithina yardofwhereIaimedattwentypacesand
thentheridiculousnessofcarryingapistolatallcameovermeandIsoonforgotitand
carrieditfloppingagainstthesmallofmybackwithnofeelingatallexceptavaguesortof
shamewhenImetEnglishspeakingpeople.Isatnowinthechairandanorderlyofsome
sortloo kedatmedisap provinglyfrombehind adeskwhileIlookedatthemarblefloor,the
pillarswiththemarblebusts,andthefrescoesonthewallandwaitedforMissBarkley.
Thefrescoeswerenotbad.Anyfrescoesweregoodwhentheystartedtopeelandflake
off.
IsawCatherineBarkleycomingdownthehall,andstoodup.Shedidnotseemtall

walkingtowardmebutshelookedverylovely.
"Goodevening,Mr.Henry,"shesaid.
"Howdoyoudo?"Isaid.Theorderlywaslisteningbehindthedesk.
"Shallwesithereorgooutinthegarden?"
"Let'sgoout.It'smuchcooler."
Iwalkedbehindheroutintothegarden,theorderlylookingafterus.Whenwewere
outonthegraveldriveshesaid,"Wher ehaveyoubeen?"
"I'vebeenoutonpost."
"Youcouldn'thavesentmeanote?"
"No,"Isaid."Notverywell.IthoughtIwascomingback."
"Yououghttohaveletmeknow,darling."
Wewereoffthedriveway,walkingunderthetrees.Itookherhands,thenstopped
andkissedher.
"Isn'tther eanywherewecango?"
"No,"shesaid."Wehavetojustwalkhere.You'vebeenawayalongtime."
"Thisisthethirdday.ButI'mbacknow."
Shel ookedatme,"Andyoudoloveme?"
"Yes."
"Youdidsayyoulovedme,di dn'tyou?"
"Yes,"Ilied."Iloveyou."Ihadnotsaiditbefore.
"AndyoucallmeCatherine?"
"Catherine."
Wewalkedonawayandwerestoppedunderatree.
"Say,'I'vecomeba cktoCatherineinthenight."
"I'vecomebacktoCatherineinthenight."
"Oh,darling,youhavecomeback,haven'tyou?"
"Yes."
"Iloveyo usoandit'sbeenawful.Youwon'tgoaway?"
"No.I'llalwayscomeback."
"Oh,Iloveyouso.Pleaseputyourhandthereagain."

"It'snotbeenaway."IturnedhersoIcouldseeherfacewhenIkissedherandI
sawthathereyeswereshut.Ikissedbothhershuteyes.Ithoughtshewasprobablya
littlecrazy.Itwas allrightifshewas.IdidnotcarewhatIwasgettinginto .Thiswasbetter
thangoingeveryeveningtothehouseforofficerswherethegirlsclimbedalloveryouand
putyourcaponbackwardasasignofaffectionbetweentheirtripsupstairswithbrother
officers.IknewI didnotloveCatherineBarkleynorhadanyideaoflovingher.Thiswasa
game,likebridge,inwhichyo usaidthingsinsteadofplayingcards.Likebridgeyouhadto
prete ndyouwereplayingformoneyo rplayingforsomestakes.Nobodyhadmentioned
whatthestakeswere.Itwasallrightwith me.
"Iwishtherewassomeplacewecouldgo,"Isaid.Iwasexperiencingthe
masculinedifficultyofmakinglove verylon gstandingup.
"Thereisn'tanyplace,"shesaid.Shecamebackfromwherevershehadbeen.
"W emightsi tther ejustforalittlewhile."
Wesatontheflatstonebe nchandIheldCatherineBarkl ey'shand.Shewouldnot
letmeputmyarmaroundher .
"Areyouverytir ed?"sheasked.
"No."
Shel ookeddownatthegrass.
"Thisisarottengameweplay,isn'tit?"
"W hatgame?"
"Don'tbedull."
"I'mnot,onpurpose."
"You'reaniceboy,"shesaid."Andyouplayitaswellasyouknowhow.Butit'sa
rottengame."
"Doyoual waysknowwhatpeoplethink?"
"Notalways.ButIdowithyou.Youdon'thavetopretendyouloveme.That' sover
forth eevening.Isther eanythingyou'dliketotalkabout?"
"ButIdoloveyou."
"Pleaselet'snotliewhenwedon'th aveto.IhadaveryfinelittleshowandI'mall
rightnow.YouseeI'mnotmadandI'mnotgoneoff.It'sonlyalittlesometimes."

Ipressedherhand,"DearCatherine."
"ItsoundsveryfunnynowCatherine.Youdon'tpronounceitverymuchalike.But
you'reverynice.You'reaverygoodboy."
"That'swhatthepriestsaid."
"Yes,you'reverygood.Andyouwillcomea ndseeme?"
"Ofcourse."
"Andyoudon'thavetosayyouloveme.That'salloverforawhile."Shestoodup
andputoutherhand."Goodnight."
Iwantedtokissher.
"No,"shesaid."I'mawfullytired."
"Kissme,though,"Isaid.
"I'mawfullytired,darling."
"Kissme."
"Doyouwanttoverymuch?"
"Yes."
Wekissedandshebrokeawaysuddenly."No.Goodnight,please,darling." We
walkedtothedoorandIsawhergoinanddownthehall.Ilikedtowatchhermove.She
wentondownthehall.Iwentonhome.Itwasahotnightandtherewasagooddealgoing
onupinthemount ains.IwatchedtheflashesonSanGabriele.
IstoppedinfrontoftheVillaRossa.Theshutterswereupbutitwasstillgoingon
inside.Somebodywassinging.Iwentonhome.RinaldicameinwhileIwasundressing.
"Ah,ha!"hesaid."Itdoesnotgosowell.Babyispuzzled."
"W here haveyoubeen?"
"AttheVill aRossa.Itwasveryedifying,baby.Weallsang.Wherehaveyou
been?"
"Calli ngontheBritish."
"ThankGodIdidnotbecomeinvolvedwiththeBritish."
7
Icamebackthenextafternoonfromourfirstmountainpostandstoppedthecarat
thesmistimentowherethewoundedandsickweresortedbytheirpapersandthepapers

markedforth edifferenthospitals.IhadbeendrivingandIsatinthecarandthedriver
tookthepapersin.Itwasa hotdayandtheskywasverybrightandblueandtheroadwas
whiteanddusty.IsatinthehighseatoftheFiatandthoughtaboutnothing.Aregiment
wentbyintheroadandIwatchedthempass.Themenwer ehotandsweating.Some
woretheirsteelhelmetsbutmostofthemcarriedthemsl ungfromtheirpacks.Mostofthe
helmetsweretoobigandcamedownalmostovertheearsofthemenwho worethem.
Theofficersallworehelmets;betterfittingh elmets.ItwashalfofthebrigataBasilicata.I
identifiedthembytheirredandwhitestripedcollarmark.Therewerestragglersgoingby
longaftertheregimenthadpassedmenwhocouldnotkeepupwiththeirplatoons.They
weresweaty,dustyandtired.Somelookedprettybad.Asoldiercamealongafterthelast
ofthestragglers.Hewaswalkingwithalimp.Hestoppedandsatdownbesidetheroad.I
gotdownandwentover.
"W hat'sthematter?"
Helookedatme,th enstoodup.
"I'mgoingon."
"W hat'sthetrouble?"
"thewar."
"W hat'swrongwithyourleg?"
"It'snotmyleg.Igotarupture."
"W hydon'tyouridewiththetr ansport?"Iasked."Whydon'tyougotothehospital?"
"Theywon'tletme.ThelieutenantsaidIslippedthetrussonpurpose."
"Letmefeelit."
"It'swayout." 
"W hichsideisiton?"
"Here."
Ifeltit.
"Cough, "Isaid.
"I'mafraiditwillmake itbigger.It'stwiceasbigasitwasthismorning."
"Sitdown,"Isaid."AssoonasIgetthepapersonthesewoundedI'lltakeyoualong
theroadan ddropyouwithyourmedicalofficers."

"He'llsayIdiditonpurpose."
"Theycan'tdoanything,"Isaid."It'snotawound.You'vehaditbefor e,haven't
you?"
"ButIlostthetruss."
"They'llsendyoutoahospital."
"Can'tIstayhere,Tenente?"
"No,Ihaven'tanypapersforyou."
Thedrivercameoutofthedoorwiththepapersforthewoundedinthecar.
"Fourfor105.Twofor132,"hesaid.Theywerehospitalsbeyondtheriver.
"Youdrive,"Isaid.Ihelpedthesoldierwiththeruptureupontheseatwithus.
"YouspeakEnglish?"heasked.
"Sure."
"Howyoulikethisgoddam war?"
"Rotten. "
"Isayit'srotten.JesusChrist,Isayi t'srotten."
"W ereyouintheStates?"
"Sure.InPittsburgh.Iknewyouwasa nAmerican."
"Don'tItalkItaliangoodenough?"
"IknewyouwasanAmericanallright."
"AnotherAmerican,"saidthedriverinItalianlookingattheherniaman.
"Listen,lootenant.Doyouhavetotakemetothatregiment?"
"Yes."
"BecausethecaptaindoctorknewIhadthisrupture.Ithrewawaythegoddam
trusssoitwouldgetbadandIwouldn'thavetogotothelineagain."
"Isee."
"Couldn'tyoutakemenoplaceelse?"
"Ifitwasclosertothefr ontIcouldtakeyoutoafirstmedicalpost.Butbackhere
you'vegottohavepapers."
"IfIgobackthey'llmakemegetoperatedonandthenthey'llputmeinthelineall
thetime."

Ithoughtitover.
"Youwouldn'twanttogointheline allthetime,wou ldyo u?"heasked.
"No."
"JesusChrist,ain'tthisagoddamwar?"
"Listen,"Isaid."Yougetoutandfalldownbytheroadandgetabumponyour
headandI'llpickyouuponourwaybackandtakeyoutoaho spital.We'llstopbythe
roadhere,Aldo."Westoppedatthesideoftheroad.Ihelpedhimdown.
"I'llberighthere,lieutenant,"hesaid.
"Solong,"Isaid.Wewentonandpassedtheregimentaboutamil eahead,then
crossed theriver,cloudywithsnowwaterandrunni ngfastthroughthespilesofthe
bridge ,torideal ongtheroadacrosstheplainanddeliverthewoundedatthetwo
hospitals.Idrove comingbackandwentfastwiththeemptycartofindthemanfrom
Pittsburgh.Firstwepassedther egiment,hotterandslowerthanever:thenthestragglers.
Thenwesawahorseambu lancestoppedbytheroad.Twomenwereliftingthehernia
mantoputhimin.Theyhadcomebackforhim.Heshookhishe adatme.Hishelmetwas
offandhisforeheadwasbleedingbelowthehairline.Hisnosewasskinnedandthere
wasdustonthebloodypatchanddustinhishair.
"Lookatthebump,lieutenant!"heshouted."Nothingtodo.Theycomebackfor
me."
WhenIgotbacktothevillaitwasfiveo'clockandIwentoutwherewewashedthe
cars,totakeashower.ThenImadeoutmyreportinmyroom,sittinginmytrousersand
anundershirtinfrontoftheopenwindow.Intwodayst heoffensivewastostartandI
wouldgowiththecarstoPlava.ItwasalongtimesinceIhadwrittentotheStatesandI
knewIshouldwritebutIhadletitgosolongthatitwasalmostimpossibletowritenow.
Therewasnothingtowriteabout.IsentacoupleofarmyZonadiGuerrapostcards,
crossingouteverythingexcept,Iamwell.Thatshouldhandlethem.Thosepostcards
wouldbeveryfineinAmerica; strangeandmysterious.Thiswasastrangeand
mysteriouswarzonebutIsupposeditwasquitewellrunandgrimcomparedtootherwars
withtheAustrians.TheAustrianarmywascreatedtogiveNapoleonvictories;any
Napoleon.IwishedwehadaNapoleon,butinsteadwehadIiGeneraleCadorna,fatand

prosperousandVittorioEmmanuele,thetinymanwiththelongthinneckandthegoat
beard.OverontherighttheyhadtheDukeofAosta.Maybehewastoogoodlookingto
bea.greatgeneralbuthelookedlikeaman.L otsofthemwouldhavelikedhimtobe
king.Helookedlikeaking.HewastheKing'suncl eandcommandedthethirdarmy.We
wereinthesecondarmy.ThereweresomeBritishbatteriesupwiththethirdarmy.Ihad
mettwogunnersfromthatl ot,inMilan.Theywereveryniceandwehadabigevening.
Theywerebigandshyandembarrassedandveryappreciativetogetherofanythingthat
happened.IwishthatIwaswiththeBritish.Itwouldhavebeenmuchsimpler.StillIwould
probablyhavebeenkilled.Notinthisambulancebusiness.Yes,evenintheambu lance
business.Britishambulancedriverswerekilledsometimes.Well,IknewIwouldnotbe
killed.Notinthiswar.Itdidnothaveanythingtodowithme.Itseemednomore
dangeroustomemyselfthanwarinthemovies.Iwishedt oGoditwasoverthough.
Maybeitwouldfinish thissummer.MaybetheAustrianswouldcrack.Theyhadalways
crackedinotherwars.Whatwasthematterwiththiswar?EverybodysaidtheFrench
werethrough.Rinaldisaidt hattheFrenchhadmutiniedandtroopsmarchedonParis.I
askedhimwhathappenedandhesaid,"Oh,theystoppedthem."IwantedtogotoAustria
withoutwar.IwantedtogototheBlackForest.IwantedtogototheHartzMountains.
WhereweretheHartzMountainsanyway?TheywerefightingintheCarpathians.I
didnotwanttogothereanyway.Itmightbegoodthough.Icoul dgotoSpainiftherewas
nowar.Thesunwasgoingdownandthedaywascoolingoff.AftersupperIwouldgoand
seeCatherineBarkley.Iwishshewereherenow.IwishedIwereinMilanwithher.I
wouldliketoeatattheCovaandthenwalkdowntheViaManzoniinthehoteveningand
crossove rand turn offalongthecanalandgotothehotelwithCatherineBarkley.Maybe
shewould.MaybeshewouldpretendthatIwasherboythatwaskilledandwewouldgo
inthefrontdoorandtheporterwouldtakeoffhiscapandIwouldstopattheconcierge's
deskandaskforthekeyandshewouldstandbytheelevatorandthenwewouldgetin
theelevatoranditwouldgoupveryslowlyclickingatallthefloorsandthenourfloorand
theboywouldopenthedoorandstandthereandshewouldstepoutandIwouldstepout
andwewouldwalkdownthehallandIwouldputtheke yinthedoorandopenitandgoin
andthentakedownthetelephoneandaskthemtosendabottleofcapribi ancainasilver

bucketfulloficeandyouwouldheartheiceagainstthepailcomingdownthecondorand
theboywouldknockandIwouldsayleaveitoutsidethedoorplease.Becausewewould
notwearanyclot hesbecauseitwassohotandthewindowopenandtheswallowsflying
overtheroofsofthehousesandwhenitwasdarkafterwardandyouwenttothewindow
verysmallbatshuntingoverthehousesandclosedownoverthetreesandwewould
drinkthecapriandthedoorlockedandithotan donlyasheetandthewholenightandwe
wouldbothloveeachotherallnightinthehotnightinMilan.Thatwashowitoughttobe.I
wouldeatquicklyandgoandseeCatherineBarkley.
TheytalkedtoomuchatthemessandIdrankwinebecausetonightwewerenotall
broth ersunlessIdrankalittleandtalkedwiththepriestaboutArchbishopIrelandwho
was,itseemed,anoblemanandwithwhoseinjustice,theinjusticeshehadreceivedand
inwhichIparticipatedasanAmerican,andofwhichIha dneverheard,Ifeigned
acquaintance.Itwouldhavebeenimpo litenottohaveknownsomethingofthemwhenI
hadlistenedtosuchasplendidexplanationoftheircauseswhichwere,afterall,it
seemed,misunderstandings.IthoughthehadafinenameandhecamefromMinnesota
whichmadealovelyname:IrelandofMinnesota,IrelandofWisconsin,Irelandof
Michigan.WhatmadeitprettywasthatitsoundedlikeIsland.Nothatwasn'tit.Therewas
moretoitthanthat.Yes,father.Thatistrue,father.Perhaps,father.No,father.Well,
maybeyes,father.YouknowmoreaboutitthanIdo,father.Thepriestwasgoodbutdull.
Theofficerswerenotgoodbutdull.TheKingwasgoodbutdull.Thewinewasbadbutnot
dull.Ittooktheenameloffyourteethandleftitontheroofofyourmouth.
"Andthepriestwaslockedup,"Roccasaid,"becausetheyfoundthethreepercent
bondsonhisperson.ItwasinFranceofcourse.Heretheywouldneverhavearrested
him.Hedeniedallknowledgeofthefivepercentbonds.ThistookplaceatBéziers.Iwas
thereandreadingofitinthepaper,wenttothejailandaskedtoseethepriest.Itwas
quiteevidenthehadstolenthebonds."
"Idon'tbelieveaword ofthis,"Rinaldisaid.
"Justasyoulike,"Roccasaid."ButIamtellingitforourpriesthere.Itisvery
informative.Heisapriest;hewillappreciateit."
Thepriestsmiled."Goon,"hesaid."Iamlistening."

"Ofcoursesomeofthebondswerenotaccountedf orbu tthepriesthadallofthe
three percentbondsandseverallocalobligations,Iforgetexactlywhattheywere.SoI
wenttothejail,nowthisisthepointofthestory,andIstoodoutsidehiscellandIsaidas
thoughIweregoingtoconfession,'Blessme,father,foryouhavesinned."
Therewasgreatlaughterfromeverybody.
"Andwhatdidhesay?"askedthepriest.Roccaignoredthisandwen tontoexplain
thejoketome."Youseethepoint,don'tyou?"Itseemeditwasaveryfunnyjokeifyou
understooditproperly.Theypouredmemorewinean dItoldthestoryabouttheEnglish
privatesoldierwhowasplacedundertheshowerbath.Thenthemajortoldthestoryofthe
elevenCzechoslovaksandtheHungariancorporal.AftersomemorewineItoldthestory
ofthejockeywhofoundthepenny.ThemajorsaidtherewasanItalianstorysomething
likethatabouttheduchesswhocouldnotsleepatnight.AtthispointthepriestleftandI
toldthestoryaboutthetravellingsalesmanwhoarrivedatfiveo'clockinthemorningat
Marseilleswhenthemistralwasblowing.ThemajorsaidhehadheardareportthatI
coulddrink.Ideniedthis.HesaiditwastrueandbythecorpseofBacchuswewouldtest
whetheritwastrueornot.NotBacchus,Isaid.NotBaëchus.Yes,Bacchus,hesaid.I
shoulddrinkcupforcupandglassforglasswithBassi,FillipoVincenza.Bassisaidno
thatwasnotestbecausehehadalreadydrunktwiceasmuchasI.Isaidthatwasafoul
lieand,BacchusornoBacchus,FillipoVincenzaBassiorBassiFillippoVicenzahad
nevertouchedadropalleveningandwhatwashisnameanyway?Hesaidwasmyname
FredericoEnricoorEnricoFederico?Isaidletthebestmanwin,Bacchusbarred,andthe
majorstarteduswithr edwineinmugs.HalfwaythroughthewineIdidnotwantany
more.IrememberedwhereIwasgoing.
"Bassiwins,"Isaid."He'sabettermanth anIam.Ihavet ogo."
"Hedoesreally," saidRinaldi."Hehasarendezvous.Iknowallaboutit."
"Ihavetogo."
"Anothernight,"saidBassi."Anothernightwhenyoufeelstronger."Heslappedme
ontheshoulder.Therewerelightedcandlesonthetable.Alltheofficerswereveryhappy.
"Goodnight,gentlemen,"Isaid.
Rinaldiwentoutwithme.Westoodoutsidethedooronthepatchandhesaid,"You

betternotgouptheredrunk."
"I'mnotdrunk,Rinin.Really."
"You'd betterchewsomecoffee."
"Nonsense."
"I'llgetsome,baby.Youwalkupanddown."Heca mebackwithahandfulof
roaste dcoffeebeans."Chewthose,baby,andGodbewithyou."
"Bacchus,"Isaid.
"I'llwalkdownwithyou."
"I'mperfectlyallright."
WewalkedalongtogetherthroughthetownandIchewedtheco ffee.Atthegateof
thedri vewaythatleduptotheBritishvilla,Rinaldisaidgoodnight.
"Goodnight,"Isaid."Whydon'tyoucomein?"
Heshookhishead."No,"hesaid."Ilikethesimplerpleasures."
"Thankyouforthecoffeebeans."
"Nothing,baby.No thing."
Jstarte ddownthedriveway.Theoutlinesofthecypressesthatlineditweresharp
andclear.IlookedbackandsawRinaldistandingwatchingmeandwavedtohim.
Isatinthereceptionhailofthevilla,waitingforCatherineBarkleytocomedown.
Someonewascomingdownthehallway.Istoodup,butitwasnotCatherine.ItwasMiss
Ferguson.
"Hello,"shesaid."Catherineaskedmet otell youshewassorryshecouldn'tsee
youthisevening." 
"I'msosorry.Ih opeshe'sno till."
"She'sn otawfullywell."
"W illyoutellherhowsorryIam?"
"Yes,Iwill."
"Doyouthinkitwouldbeanygoodtotryandseehertomorrow?"
"Yes,Ido."
"Thankyouverymuch,"Isaid."Goodnight."
IwentoutthedoorandsuddenlyIfeltlonelyandempty.Ihadtreatedseeing

Catherineverylightly,Ihadgottensomewhatdrun kandhadnearlyforgottentocomebut
whenIcouldnotseeherthereIwasfeeli nglonelyandhollow.
8
Thenextafternoonweheardtherewastobeanattackuptheriverthatnightand
thatweweretotakefourcarsthere.Nobodyknewanythingaboutitalthoughtheyall
spokewithgreatpositivenessandstrategicalknowledge.Iwasridinginthefirstcarand
aswepassedtheentrytotheBritishhospitalItoldthedrivertostop.Theothercarspulled
up.Igotoutandtoldthedrivertogoonandthatifwehadnotcaughtuptothematthe
junctionoftheroadtoCormonsto waitthere.Ihurriedupthedrivewayandinsidethe
receptionhallIaskedforMissBarkley.
"She'so nduty."
"CouldIseeherjustforamoment?"
Theysentanorderlytoseeandshecamebackwithhim.
"Istoppedtoaskifyouwerebetter.Theytoldmeyouwereonduty,soIaskedto
seeyou."
"I'mquitewell,"shesaid,"Ithinktheheatknockedmeoveryesterday."
"Ihavetogo."
"I'lljuststepoutthedooraminute."
"Andyou'reallright?"Iaskedoutside.
"Yes,darling.Areyoucomingtonight?"
"No.I'ml eavingnowforashowupabovePlava."
"Ashow?"
"Idon'tthinkit'sanything."
"Andyou'll beback?"
"Tomorrow."
Shewasunclaspingsomethingfromherneck.Sheputiti nmyhand."It'sa Saint
Anthony,"shesaid."Andcometomorrownight."
"You'renotaCatholic,areyou?"
"No.ButtheysayaSaintAnthony'sveryuseful."
"I'lltakecareofhimforyou.Goodby."

"No,"shesaid,"notgoodby."
"Allri ght."
"Beagoodboyandbecareful.No,youcan'tkissmehere.Youcan't."
"Allri ght."
Ilookedbackandsawherstandingonthesteps.ShewavedandIkissedmyhand
andhelditout.ShewavedagainandthenIwasoutofthedrivewayandclimbingupinto
theseatoftheambulanceandwestarted.TheSaintAnthonywasinalittlewhitemetal
capsule.Iopenedthecapsuleandspilledhimoutintomyhand.
"SaintAnthony?"askedthedriver.
"Yes."
"Ihaveone."Hisrighthandleftthewheelandopenedabuttononhistunicand
pulleditoutfromunderhisshirt.
"See?"
IputmySaintAnthonybackinthecapsule,spilledthethingoldchaintogetherand
putitallinmybreastpocket.
"Youdon'twearhim?"
"No."
"It'sbettertowearhim.That'swhatit'sfor."
"Allri ght,"Isaid.Iundidtheclaspofthegoldchainandputitaroundmyneckand
claspedit.ThesainthungdownontheOutsideofmyuniformandIundidthethroatofmy
tunic,unbuttonedtheshirtcollaranddroppedhiminundertheshirt.Ifelthiminhismetal
boxagainstmychestwhi lewedrove.ThenIforgotabouthim.AfterIwaswoundedI
neverfound him.Someoneprobablygotitatoneo fthedressingstations.
Wedrovefastwhenwewereoverthebridgeandsoonwesawthedustoftheother
carsaheaddowntheroad.Theroadcurvedandwesawthethreecarslookingquite
small,thedustrisingfromthewheelsand goingoffthroughthetrees.Wecaughtthem
andpassedthemandturnedoffonaroadthatclimbedupintothehills.Drivinginconvoy
isnotunpleasantifyouarethefirstcarandIsettledbackintheseatandwatchedthe
countr y.Wewereinthefoothillsonthenearsideoftheriverandastheroadmounted
therewerethehighmountainsofftothenorthwi thsnowstillonthetops.Ilooked back

andsawthethreecarsallclimbing,spacedbytheintervaloftheirdust.Wepassedalong
columnofloadedmules, thedri verswalkingalongbesidethemuleswearingredfezzes.
Theywerebersaglieri.
Beyondthemuletrainth eroa dwasemptyandweclimbedthroughthehillsand
thenwentdownoverth eshoulderofalonghillintoarivervalley.Thereweretreesalong
bothsidesoftheroadandthroughtherightlineoftreesIsawtheriver,thewaterclear,
fastandshallow.Theriverwaslowandtherewerestretchesofsandandpebbleswitha
narrowchannelofwaterandsometimesthewaterspreadlikeashee nover thepebbly
bed.ClosetothebankIsawdeeppools,thewaterbluelikethesky.Isawarchedstone
bridge sovertheriverwheretracksturnedofffromtheroadandwepassedstone
farmhouseswithpeartreescandelabraedagainsttheirsouthwallsandlowstonewallsin
thefields.Theroadwentupthevalleyalongwayandthenweturnedoffandcommenced
toclimbintothehillsagain.Theroadclimbedsteeplygoingupandbackandforththrough
chestnutwoodstolevelfinallyalongaridge.Icouldlookdownthroughthewoodsand
see,farbelow,withthesunonit,thelineoftheriverthatseparatedthetwoarmies.We
wentalongtheroughnewmili taryroadthatfollowedthecrestoftheridgeandIlookedto
thenorthatthetworangesofmountains,greenanddarktothesnowlineandthenwhite
andlovelyinthesun.Then,astheroadmountedalongtheridge,Isawathirdrangeof
mountains, highersnowmountai ns,thatlookedchalkywhiteandfurrowed,withstrange
planes,andthenthereweremountai nsfaroffbeyondallthesethatyoucouldhardlytellif
youreall ysaw.ThosewerealltheAustrians'mountainsandwehadnothinglikethem.
Aheadtherewasaroundedturn offintheroadtotherightandloo kingdownIcouldsee
theroaddroppingthroughthetrees.Thereweretroopsonthisroadandmotortrucksand
muleswithmountaingunsandaswewentdown,keepingtotheside,Icouldseetheriver
fardownbelow,thelineoftiesandrailsrunningalongit,theoldbridgewheretherailway
crossed totheothersideandacross,underahillbeyondtheriver,thebrokenhousesof
thelittletownthatwastobetaken.
Itwasnearlydarkwhenwecamedownandturnedontothemainroadthatran
besidetheriver.
9

Theroadwascrowdedandtherewerescreensofcornstalkandstrawmattingon
bothsidesandmattingoverthetopsothatitwasli ketheentranceatacircusoranative
village.Wedroveslowlyinthismattingcoveredtunnelandcameoutontoabarecleared
spacewheretherailwaystationhadbeen.Theroadherewasbelowtheleveloftheriver
bankandallalongthesideofthesunkenroadtherewereholesduginthebankwith
infantr yinthem.ThesunwasgoingdownandlookingupalongthebankaswedroveI
sawtheAustrianobservationballoonsabovethehillsontheothersidedarkagainstthe
sunset.Weparkedthecarsbeyondabrickyard.Theovensandsomedeepholeshad
beenequippedasdressingstations.TherewerethreedoctorsthatIknew.Italkedwith
themajorandlearnedthatwhenitshouldstartandourcarsshouldbeloadedwewould
drivethembackalongthescreenedroadanduptothemainroadalongtheridgewhere
therewou ldbeapostandothercarstoclearthem.Hehopedtheroadwouldnotjam.It
wasaone roadshow.TheroadwasscreenedbecauseitwasinsightoftheAustrians
acrosstheriver.Hereatthebrickyardwewereshelteredfromrifleormachinegunfireby
theriverbank.Therewasonesmashedbridgeacrosstheriver.Theyweregoingtoput
overa notherbridgewhenthebombardmentstartedandsometroopsweretocrossatthe
shallowsupaboveatthebendoftheriver.Themajorwasalittlemanwithupturned
mustaches.HehadbeeninthewarinLibyaandworetwowoundstripe s.Hesaidthatif
thethingwentwellhewouldseethatIwasdecorated.IsaidIhopeditwouldgowellbut
thathewastookind.Iaskedhimiftherewasabigdugoutwherethe driverscouldstay
andhesentasoldiertoshowme.Iwentwithhimandfoundthedugout,whichwasvery
good.ThedriverswerepleasedwithitandIleftthemthere.Themajoraskedmetohave
adrink withhimandtwoothe rofficers.Wedrankrumanditwasveryfriendly.Outsideit
wasgettingdark.Iaskedwhattimetheattackwastoheandtheysaidassoonasitwas
dark.I wentbacktothedrivers.TheyweresittinginthedugouttalkingandwhenIcamein
theystopped.Igavethemeachapackageofcigarettes,Macedonias,looselypacked
cigarettesthatspilledtobaccoandneededtohavetheendstwistedbeforeyousmoked
them.Maneralithislighterandpasseditaround .ThelighterwasshapedlikeaFiat
radiator.ItoldthemwhatIhadheard.
"W hydidn'tweseeth epostwhenwecamedown?"Passiniasked.

"Itwasjustbeyondwhereweturnedoff."
"Thatroadwillbeadirtymess,"Manerasai d.
"They'llshelltheoutofus."
"Probably."
"W hatabouteating,lieutenant?Wewon'tgetachancetoeatafterthisthingstarts."
"I'llgoandseenow,"Isai d.
"Youwantustostayhereorcanwelookaround?"
"Betterstayhere."
Iwentbacktothemajor'sdugoutandhesaidthefieldkitchenwouldbealongand
thedri verscouldcomeandgettheirstew.He wouldloanthemmesstinsiftheydidnot
havethem.IsaidIthoughttheyhadthem.IwentbackandtoldthedriversIwouldget
themassoonasthefoodcame.Manerasaidhehopeditwouldcomebeforethe
bombardmentstarted.TheyweresilentuntilIwentout.Theywereallmechani csand
hatedthewar.
Iwentouttolookatthecarsandseewhatwasg oingonandthencamebackand
satdowninthedugoutwiththefourdrivers.Wesatonthegroundwithourbacksagainst