- officers—apart from Fortune—thought he went "a bit
too far."
Dear old Harding, who was Tory to the backbone, with a deep respect for all in authority, accused him of being a "damned revolutionary" and for a moment it looked as though there would be hot words, until Brand laughed in a good-natured way and said, "My dear fellow, I'm only talking academic rot. I haven't a conviction. Ever since the war began I have been trying to make head or tail of things in a sea-fog of doubt. All I know is that I want the bloody orgy to end; somehow and anyhow."
"With victory," said Harding solemnly.
"With the destruction of Prussian philosophy everywhere," said Brand.
They agreed on that, but I could see that Brand was on shifting ground and I knew, as our friendship deepened, that he was getting beyond a religion of mere hate, and was looking for some other kind of faith. Occasionally he harked back, as on the day in Lille when I walked by his side.
