tly too unnerved to talk coherently--the Americans made their
way back to the quay with heavy hearts. They threaded lanes filled with
sobbing women, many of whom had frightened children clinging to their
skirts, passed groups of old men and boys who were visibly trembling
with trepidation and stood aside for ranks of brisk soldiery who marched
with an alertness that was in strong contrast with the terrified
attitude of the citizens. There was war in the air--fierce, relentless
war in every word and action they encountered--and it had the effect of
depressing the newcomers.

That night an earnest conference was held aboard the _Arabella_.

"As I understand it, here is the gist of the situation," began Ajo. "The
line of battle along the Aisne is stationary--for the present, at least.
Both sides are firmly entrenched and it's going to be a long, hard
fight. Antwerp is being bombarded, and although it's a powerful
fortress, the general opinion is that it can't hold out for long. If it
falls, there will be a rush of Germans down this coast, first to capture
Dunkirk, a few miles above here, and then Calais itself."

"In other words," continued Uncle John, "this is likely to be the most
important battleground for the next few weeks. Now, the question to
decide is this: Shall we disembark our ambulances and run them across to
Arras, beginning our work behind the French trenches, or go on to
Dunkirk, where we are likely to plunge into the thickest of the war?
We're not fighters, you know, but noncombatants, bent on an errand of
mercy. There are wounded everywhere."

They considered this for a long time without reaching a decision, for
there were some in the party to argue on either side of the question.
Uncle John continued to favor the trenches, as the safest position for
his girls to work; but the girls themselves, realizing little of the
dangers to be encountered, preferred to follow the fortunes of the
Belgians.

"They've been so brave and noble, these people of Belgium," said Beth,
"that I would take more pleasure in helping them than any other branch
of the allied armies."

"But, my dear, there's a mere handful of them left," protested her
uncle. "I'm told that at Dunkirk there is still a remnant of the Belgian
army--very badly equipped--but most of the remaining force is with King
Albert in Antwerp. If the place falls they will either be made prisoners
by the Germans or they may escape into Holland, where their figh