miserable refugees from Malines pouring
down from the station. The courage of these Belgians is beyond all
words. Save for the two in the freight station yard at Louvain, I have
not seen a woman crying! It may be that they are numb, but they have
none of the stupidity of numbness. And when you think that these very
women will be creeping back to their homes and caring for the German
wounded they find there, it gives you a fine lump in the throat.

I paid a call at the French Legation, went back to the Consulate-General
to sign my telegrams and mail which had been hammered out, and then to
lunch. Got away at 3:30 to the banging of heavy siege artillery and
invitations to come back "if we are still here." As I was getting into
the car, Prince D---- plucked me by the sleeve and pointed at the
Cathedral tower high above us. "Take a good look," he said. "It may not
be here when you come back."

We made good time through the rain, but missed the boat at Moerdyck, and
spent an hour on the dock. Got in at ten, ravenously hungry, had a
snack, and then to bed.

Up again at six and took the seven-thirty train for Flushing. It loafed
along through the country, and we did not sail until eleven. We have to
go round to Folkstone, but hope to be in by six o'clock.

There are not more than twenty people on the ship, and the way they went
through our credentials was a caution. I was glad I had taken the
precaution to provide myself with American, British, German, Dutch and
Belgian papers for the trip. There is another examination at Folkstone.

* * * * *

_On board the S.S. "Brussels," off Flushing, October 5, 1914._--To
resume.

We got into Folkstone last Wednesday evening at sunset, and got through
to London by eight-fifteen. All the latter part of the crossing we were
spoken from time to time by British destroyers, which bobbed up from
nowhere to warn of floating mines or give directions as to our course.
The entrance to Dover was surrounded by destroyers, and looked grim and
warlike, and what's more, businesslike.

Thursday morning I got up as late as I decently could and went down to
the Embassy to find Shaler and Couchman waiting for me. They had been
in London since Monday, but had not made much progress with their
mission of getting food for Brussels. This was due to no lack of energy
on their part, but to the general difficulty of getting attention for
any matter at th