ld rather jar on one to-day. He's always _so_
disliked the Germans! Poor fellow, how he must feel out of it, now that
the war he's always been talking about has actually come!"

"Well, mother, Jervis was right after all. The Germans _were_ preparing
for war."

But Mrs. Otway went on as if she had not heard the interruption. It was
a way she had, and sometimes both Rose and old Anna found it rather
trying. "This morning Miss Forsyth was saying she thought young Blake
would enlist--that she'd enlist if she were in his place! It's odd what
nonsense she sometimes talks."

Rose remained silent and her mother continued. "I've so many things to
tell you I hardly know where to begin. It was a very interesting
committee, more lively than usual. There seemed a notion among some of
the people there that there will be war work of some kind for us to do.
Lady Bethune thought so--though I can't see how the war can affect any
of _us_, here, in Witanbury. But just as we were breaking up, Lady
Bethune told us some interesting things. There are, she says, two
parties in the Government--one party wants us to send out troops to help
Belgium, the other party thinks we ought to be content with letting the
fleet help the French. I must say I agree with the Blue Water school."

"I don't," said Rose rather decidedly. "If we really owe so much to
Belgium that we have gone to war for her sake, then it seems to me we
ought to send soldiers to help her."

"But then we have such a small army," objected Mrs. Otway.

"It may grow bigger," observed her daughter quietly, "especially if
people like Jervis Blake think of enlisting."

"But it wasn't Jervis Blake, darling child--it was Miss Forsyth who said
that to me."

"So it was! How stupid I am!" Rose turned a little pink. She did not
wish to deceive her mother. But Mrs. Otway was so confiding, so sure
that every one was as honourable as herself, that she could not always
be trusted to keep secrets.

CHAPTER VI

Mr. and Mrs. Hegner stood together in their brilliantly lighted but now
empty front shop. In a few minutes their guests would begin to arrive.
Mrs. Hegner looked tired, and rather cross, for the shop had not been
transformed into its present state without a good deal of hard work on
the part of all of them, her husband, their German assistants, and
herself--their English shopman had been told that to-night his services
would not be required. But Mrs. Hegner, though her pretty