plete confidence in
God and Kitchener. Ah well, Susan Baker, there is only God left now.'

"Whereat Cousin Sophia put her handkerchief to her eyes pathetically as
if the world were indeed in terrible straits. As for Susan, Cousin
Sophia was the salvation of her. She came to life with a jerk.

"'Sophia Crawford, hold your peace!' she said sternly. 'You may be an
idiot but you need not be an irreverent idiot. It is no more than
decent to be weeping and wailing because the Almighty is the sole stay
of the Allies now. As for Kitchener, his death is a great loss and I do
not dispute it. But the outcome of this war does not depend on one
man's life and now that the Russians are coming on again you will soon
see a change for the better.'

"Susan said this so energetically that she convinced herself and
cheered up immediately. But Cousin Sophia shook her head.

"'Albert's wife wants to call the baby after Brusiloff,' she said, 'but
I told her to wait and see what becomes of him first. Them Russians has
such a habit of petering out.'

"The Russians are doing splendidly, however, and they have saved Italy.
But even when the daily news of their sweeping advance comes we don't
feel like running up the flag as we used to do. As Gertrude says,
Verdun has slain all exultation. We would all feel more like rejoicing
if the victories were on the western front. 'When will the British
strike?' Gertrude sighed this morning. 'We have waited so long--so
long.'

"Our greatest local event in recent weeks was the route march the
county battalion made through the county before it left for overseas.
They marched from Charlottetown to Lowbridge, then round the Harbour
Head and through the Upper Glen and so down to the St. Mary station.
Everybody turned out to see them, except old Aunt Fannie Clow, who is
bedridden and Mr. Pryor, who hadn't been seen out even in church since
the night of the Union Prayer Meeting the previous week.

"It was wonderful and heartbreaking to see that battalion marching
past. There were young men and middle-aged men in it. There was Laurie
McAllister from over-harbour who is only sixteen but swore he was
eighteen, so that he could enlist; and there was Angus Mackenzie, from
the Upper Glen who is fifty-five if he is a day and swore he was
forty-four. There were two South African veterans from Lowbridge, and
the three eighteen-year-old Baxter triplets from Harbour Head.
Everybody cheered as they went by, and they ch