iled grimly. High
above him on the sky-line of the cliff he saw the three strangers he had
served at luncheon. They were driving before them three innocuous golf
balls.

"A nation of wasters," muttered the German, "sleeping at their posts.
They are fiddling while England falls!"

Mr. Shutliffe, of Stiffkey, had led his cow in from the marsh, and was
about to close the cow-barn door, when three soldiers appeared suddenly
around the wall of the village church. They ran directly toward him. It
was nine o'clock, but the twilight still held. The uniforms the men wore
were unfamiliar, but in his day Mr. Shutliffe had seen many uniforms,
and to him all uniforms looked alike. The tallest soldier snapped at Mr.
Shutliffe fiercely in a strange tongue.

"Du bist gefangen!" he announced. "Das Dorf ist besetzt. Wo sind unsere
Leute?" he demanded.

"You'll 'ave to excuse me, sir," said Mr. Shutliffe, "but I am a trifle
'ard of 'earing."

The soldier addressed him in English.

"What is the name of this village?" he demanded.

Mr. Shuttiffe, having lived in the village upward of eighty years,
recalled its name with difficulty.

"Have you seen any of our people?"

With another painful effort of memory Mr. Shutliffe shook his head.

"Go indoors!" commanded the soldier, "And put out all lights, and remain
indoors. We have taken this village. We are Germans. You are a prisoner!
Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, thank'ee, sir, kindly," stammered Mr. Shutliffe. "May I lock
in the pigs first, sir?"

One of the soldiers coughed explosively, and ran away, and the two
others trotted after him. When they looked back, Mr. Shutliffe was still
standing uncertainly in the dusk, mildly concerned as to whether he
should lock up the pigs or obey the German gentleman.

The three soldiers halted behind the church wall.

"That was a fine start!" mocked Herbert. "Of course, you had to pick out
the Village Idiot. If they are all going to take it like that, we had
better pack up and go home."

"The village inn is still open," said Ford. "We'll close It."

They entered with fixed bayonets and dropped the butts of their rifles
on the sanded floor. A man in gaiters choked over his ale and two
fishermen removed their clay pipes and stared. The bar-maid alone arose
to the occasion.

"Now, then," she exclaimed briskly, "What way is that to come tumbling
into a respectable place? None of your tea-garden tricks in here, young
fellow, my lad, or--