of food,
and others had heart disease, and fell exhausted in the road, the
soldiers prodding them with their bayonets to make them get up! After
several hours' detention there, they were brought back to Altheim,
where the poor lady arrived a pitiable wreck! What an experience! I
have been packed up for days!

_August 8th._--I went into the Park Strasse this morning to buy a
"Frankfurter Zeitung." Outside the shop where I bought it some
American women stood gazing at a map of the war, and one said: "I am
_disgusted_ with England, just disgusted. So degrading of her to help
a country like Russia, and side with assassins, just degrading! All we
Americans despise her now." I thought to myself: "If I go to prison
for it, I will not allow anyone to call my country 'degraded and
disgusting.'" So I said, trembling with wrath, "There is nothing
'degrading' in being honourable, nor despicable in keeping true to
your word. England promised to protect Belgium's frontier, and she is
bound to do it."

Several Germans were gathered round the map, and they scowled at me
until I faced them calmly and said: "Jeder man fuer sein Land" (Every
man for his country), and they answered quite civilly: "Gewiss!"
(Certainly). The Americans in Altheim, I found afterwards, were
chiefly of German extraction, which accounted for the woman's
behaviour.

Early this morning three men arrived to search my room for weapons. I
was in bed, but they pushed past the maid Kaethchen, forced their way
in, pried into every corner, and departed. Emile the housemaid here
has _four_ brothers at the war. Dreadful rumours are flying about as
to our destination. One day we hear we are to go to Denmark, another
to Holland. Sometimes we are told that we shall not be allowed to
leave Germany until the war is over; again that we shall be sent away
at a moment's notice; that we shall be left at the frontier, and have
to walk for six hours, and carry our own luggage, etc.

The German papers are perfectly horrible in their violent abuse of
England, and we are so miserably anxious, not about ourselves, but
about our dear, dear country, and how she is faring. Kaethchen said
this morning, "Die deutschen in Ausland sind sehr schlecht behandelt"
(Germans abroad are very badly treated). "See how well the foreigners
are treated _here_," by way of impressing upon me how thankful I ought
to be for my mercies.

_August 9th._--No papers! No news! No letters! No money! All of us a