on, which a few weeks before was looked upon as a nation of
friends, was now spoken of as "the enemy." We held our breaths when we
read of the bombardment of Liege, and cheered wildly at the thought of
the brave Belgian army holding the forts against the opposing forces,
and driving back the hordes of Huns with such valour. "How long will
the English take to get there?" we asked again and again. "When shall
we come to close grips with them?" Many a mother grew pale as she
thought of her boy in the line of battle.

Presently news came of the fall of Liege and the victorious march of
the Germans towards Brussels. The terror of the whole thing got hold
of us, as we thought of the unfortified capital being seized by the
advancing hosts of a great military Power. We troubled very little
about French successes or losses in Alsace and Lorraine. We knew that
the French, true to their characters, had yielded to sentiment rather
than to strategy in making what seemed to us a foolish attempt to win
back these provinces. Of course it was only forty-four years ago that
they had been taken from them by their conquerors in the Franco-German
war. We knew too that, ever since, they had been longing for revenge,
longing to win back what they felt to be part of their own country.
Naturally we sympathised with the French in this, and tears came to our
eyes, and sobs to our throats, when we read how old Frenchmen who had
been through the Franco-German war, welcomed the soldiers with wild and
tumultuous joy. Nevertheless we knew that victory could not be won by
sentiment, and that if the carefully trained German soldiers were to be
driven back, there must be strategy on our side equal to theirs, and
that the armies must be led, not only courageously, but intelligently.
Thus, although we had no proof of the rumour, we rejoiced when we heard
that Lord Kitchener had gone to Paris, and by his wise counsels and
tremendous personality had altered the whole course of the campaign.

"He's the man!" one would say to another; "he's like the Iron Duke in
Boney's time. Nerves like steel, a mind like a razor, and the heart of
a lion."

Nevertheless day by day our hearts grew heavier and heavier as we read
of the steady German advance towards Paris. "If the capital is taken,"
men said, "Isn't everything done for?" and then we weighed the pros and
cons with all the wisdom of a rustic population.

Another thing added to our discomfort. The l