front of the other."

"And," said Tubby vehemently, "here are two loyal comrades who mean to
stick to you, Merritt, to the very end."

CHAPTER XXVI.

FOR HUMANITY'S SAKE.

"I think we're coming to Sempst," said Rob.

It was nearly half an hour after Merritt had so firmly announced his
intention of staying in the game, no matter if he should meet with a
bitter disappointment in the town, which had been the loadstone for
their advance through the heart of war-stricken Belgium.

"Then Brussels can't be very far away, over there," said Tubby. "Gee! I
only wish we could find some scarecrows about now, and get a change of
clothes."

"What makes you say that?" asked Rob. "I thought you were so proud of
your suit of khaki that nothing could tempt you to give it up."

"Oh! I didn't mean I'd really want to discard this bully suit," Tubby
hastened to explain. "Only if we could manage to conceal the scout
uniform under something more common, why, you see the Germans might
take us for Belgian boys, and in that case wouldn't molest us."

"I understand what he's getting at, Rob," Merritt chuckled, "Tubby has
said a number of times that the one thing he was sorry about was that we
couldn't have a run through Brussels. Seems like he got a great notion
he wanted to visit there, as he'd read a lot about the wonderful city.
But you'll have to let that longing sleep until the next time you come
abroad, Tubby."

"Unless we happen to find we've got business in Brussels," observed the
other cunningly. "Then mebbe we might decide we'd find a way to go in.
'Course I mean if they told us here in Sempst that Mr. Steven Meredith,
who seems to be a pretty smart secret agent of the German Government,
had changed his residence to Brussels, so as to be in touch with army
headquarters and the General Staff. How about that, Merritt?"

"We won't cross rivers before we come to them," Rob hastened to remark,
not wishing the other to fully commit himself to any course. "After
coming so far with the intention to find our man here in this little
town, it seems silly to get cold feet when we're right on the spot, and
before we know anything that's against our having the best of success."

"Oh! you're right, Rob," agreed Tubby. "You remember the old motto we
used to write in our copybooks at school long ago--'sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof.' Guess that's from the Good Book, too; but it
applies to our case, all the same. We'll w