noon
That night , he wrote to Alice . The letter was long and full of detail . It told what he knew , what he had inferred and what he feared . It begged her , in the name of their own sacred happiness , to help him win the same happiness for these two who , longing to come together , were straying always farther apart ; and it ended with the words with which he had begun his talk with Weldon , that noon , -- `` For God 's sake , how long is this going to last ? '' Paddy waved his thumb disrespectfully towards the rear of the column . `` And what can you expect of a man that goes to the wars in a fancy petticoat , let alone a khaki apron to cover up the front of it ? '' he demanded .