But I had seen him--and I knew what it meant--I knew that I
was among those who followed him.
"Rilla, the Piper will pipe me 'west' tomorrow. I feel sure of this. And
Rilla, I'm not afraid. When you hear the news, remember that. I've won
my own freedom here--freedom from all fear. I shall never be afraid of
anything again--not of death--nor of life, if after all, I am to go on
living. And life, I think, would be the harder of the two to face--for
it could never be beautiful for me again. There would always be such
horrible things to remember--things that would make life ugly and
painful always for me. I could never forget them. But whether it's life
or death, I'm not afraid, Rilla-my-Rilla, and I am not sorry that I
came. I'm satisfied. I'll never write the poems I once dreamed of
writing--but I've helped to make Canada safe for the poets of the
future--for the workers of the future--ay, and the dreamers, too--for
if no man dreams, there will be nothing for the workers to fulfil--the
future, not of Canada only but of the world--when the 'red rain' of
Langemarck and Verdun shall have brought forth a golden harvest--not in
a year or two, as some foolishly think, but a generation later, when the
seed sown now shall have had time to germinate and grow. Yes, I'm glad I
came, Rilla. It isn't only the fate of the little sea-born island I love
that is in the balance--nor of Canada nor of England.
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