If Ernest Renan ` walked ' today and saw what that interesting young man had done to his beloved France , not to speak of the world , I wonder if his mental detachment would be as complete as it was in 1870 . '' `` I wonder where Jem is tonight , '' thought Rilla , in a sudden bitter inrush of remembrance . It was over a month since the news had come about Jem . Nothing had been discovered concerning him , in spite of all efforts . Two or three letters had come from him , written before the trench raid , and since then there had been only unbroken silence . Now the Germans were again at the Marne , pressing nearer and nearer Paris ; now rumours were coming of another Austrian offensive against the Piave line . Rilla turned away from the new star , sick at heart . It was one of the moments when hope and courage failed her utterly -- when it seemed impossible to go on even one more day . If only they knew what had happened to Jem -- you can face anything you know . But a beleaguerment of fear and doubt and suspense is a hard thing for the morale . Surely , if Jem were alive , some word would have come through . He must be dead . Only -- they would never know -- they could never be quite sure ; and Dog Monday would wait for the train until he died of old age . Monday was only a poor , faithful , rheumatic little dog , who knew nothing more of his master 's fate than they did . Rilla had a `` white night '' and did not fall asleep until late . When she wakened Gertrude Oliver was sitting at her window leaning out to meet the silver mystery of the dawn . Her clever , striking profile , with the masses of black hair behind it , came out clearly against the pallid gold of the eastern sky . Rilla remembered Jem 's admiration of the curve of Miss Oliver 's brow and chin , and she shuddered . Everything that reminded her of Jem was beginning to give intolerable pain . Walter 's death had inflicted on her heart a terrible wound .
But it had been a clean wound and had healed slowly , as such wounds do , though the scar must remain XXXXX ever .
against for from if of on since than to until