"What is it, Pat?" I asked. "It ticks so loud," she whispered. "What? The watch?" She nodded. "It's so threatening—" I took the watch off my wrist. She looked anxiously at the second hand. "Throw it away." I took the watch and flung it against the wall. "There, it's not ticking any more now. Now time is standing still. We've torn it in two. Now only we two are here; we two, you and me and no one else." She looked at me. Her eyes were very big. "Darling—" she whispered. I could not bear her glance. It came from far away and passed through me to some place beyond. "Old lad," I murmured, "dear, brave, old lad."