n when our boys do
not dream impossible dreams, and think thoughts which wiseacres call
foolishness.

"That's splendid, Bob!" cried Nancy, her eyes sparkling. "I should
love you to go into Parliament--love to hear you speak in the House of
Commons. Why, you might be elected for St. Ia! Dad has at great deal
of influence there too, and could get you nominated. But what things
would you advocate?"

"I know," cried Bob. "I am going to create a peace party in England.
Yes, I know some of your people have been soldiers, while my mother
glories in the fact that many of the Trelawneys have been and are in
the Army. But think of the horrors of war. Even now Europe is said to
be sitting on a powder-barrel. Every nation in Europe is being bled to
death, in order to pay war taxes, even although at present there isn't
a shadow of war in the sky. Money that might be spent, and should be
spent, on the betterment of the lives of the people and destroying, the
possibility of poverty and want, is spent in Dreadnoughts and weapons
to kill. Hundreds of millions are being spent on the Army and Navy,
while paltry sums are grudged for education and all those things which
go to make up the manhood of the nation."

"Yes, I know war is terrible, ghastly. But how can you stop it? You
wouldn't advocate the destruction of our Army and Navy. It would be
madness, it would----"

"Not yet," interrupted Bob eagerly. "I would labour for a great
European movement. Take Germany for example. The Germans are worse
taxed than we are to pay for armaments, but the people don't want war.
They are a peace-loving people. The Kaiser doesn't want war. He's
said so a hundred times. The Czar of Russia doesn't want war. And yet
hundreds upon hundreds of millions of money are being spent on war
implements, while the people want bread. Besides, a ghastly, warlike,
unchristian spirit is kept alive by this eternal talk about the
possibilities of war. What is wanted is an agreement among the
Governments of nations that there shall be no war. We want to create
an anti-war spirit in the hearts of the people, and so kill the
terrible thing at the fountain-head."

"Yes, yes," cried the girl, "if all the nations could be persuaded to
disarm, it would be splendid! But, but----"

"It can be done," cried Bob. "I will give my life to it. Everybody
hates war in the abstract, but no one seems to throw himself heart and
soul into a great peace crusade