For Hal it was a relief to have the horizons of his mind planed down, with certain conventional fences erected in their stead. He would be saluted by all enlisted men, and henceforth his mind must move along neat little tracks, greased by order of the secretary of war. It was the first breather Hal had ever had from coping with things. —And you’ll be overseas soon, dear, he said to himself, turning away from the mirror. Perhaps you never belonged in America at all.
