y us past the
danger point."

"Well, I hope so, Mother. I loathe the very thought of war," said Larry.
"I think I am like you in this. I never did fight, you know; as a boy I
always got out of it. Do you know, Mother, I think I would be afraid to
fight."

"I hope so," replied his mother. "Fighting is no work for man, but for
brute."

"But you would not be afraid, Mother. I know you would stand up to
anything."

"Oh, no, no," cried his mother. "I could stand up to very little. After
all, it is only God that makes strong to endure."

"But it is not quite the question of enduring, it is not the suffering,
Mother. It is the killing. I don't believe I could kill a man, and yet
in the Bible they were told to kill."

"But surely, Larry, we read our Bible somewhat differently these days.
Surely we have advanced since the days of Abraham. We do not find our
Lord and master commanding men to kill."

"But, Mother, in these present wars should not men defend their women
and children from such outrages as we read about?"

"When it comes to the question of defending women and children it seems
to me that the question is changed," said his mother. "As to that I can
never quite make up my mind, but generally speaking we hold that it is
the Cross, not the sword, that will save the world from oppression and
break the tyrant's power."

"But after all, Mother," replied Larry, "it was not Smithfield that
saved England's freedom, but Naseby."

"Perhaps both Naseby and Smithfield," said his mother. "I am not very
wise in these things."

At the door of their house they came upon Nora sitting in the moonlight.
"Did you meet Ernest and Mr. Romayne?" she inquired. "They've only gone
five minutes or so. They walked down with us."

"No, we did not meet them."

"You must be tired after the wild excitement of the day, Mother," said
Nora. "I think you had better go at once to bed. As for me, I am going
for a swim."

"That's bully; I'm with you," said Larry.

In a few minutes they were dressed in their bathing suits, and, wrapped
up in their mackintosh coats, they strolled toward the little lake.

"Let's sit a few moments and take in this wonderful night," said Nora.
"Larry, I want to talk to you about what we heard to-night from those
two men. They made me feel that war was not only possible but near."

"It did not impress me in the very least," said Larry. "They talked as
military men always talk. They've got the war bug. These