Dart is writing this letter late at night because he had a long visit with Mrs. Carle. He had dinner there and then Mrs. Carle showed him many of the mementoes she has of Art’s final days. That must have been a very difficult dinner, but also a salve to the lonely and heart-broken mother.

Dart slept late this morning but with all the things remaining on his “must do” list, he can’t afford to do that again. “I hope I don’t fall asleep in your arms again. By the time you get this you’ll know whether I did or not.”

Dot had expressed the hope that they would have another late-night talk when they see each other this weekend. Dart’s sure they can, if they can each remember what it is they want to talk about.

He tried to compose something about “by the time you read this, I’ll be many miles away,” but it sounded trite. Still, it’s the only way to describe how lonely he’ll be without her when he returns from leave.  Referring to the bull sesson that Dot’s housemates had where they discussed a subject Dot didn’t approve of, he can think of two subjects that it could have been, except she would never have thought of one, so it must be the other. He did not, however indicate what that topic was, so you and I can only speculate.

He filled the bottom few lines of the page by writing “I love you,” over and over again. Yes, I think he really does.

Dot didn’t write until the 15th, but Dart will return on October 14th.