But she herself had little difficulty. She put her hand luggage--she
had no other--into a first-class compartment, and having an hour and
a half to wait walked out to look at Ostende.

Summer tourists were still there; the Casino was full of people, the
shops were doing an active trade; the restaurants were crowded with
English, Americans, Belgians taking tea, chocolate, or liqueurs at
little tables and creating a babel of talk. Newspapers were being
sold everywhere by ragamuffin boys who shouted their head-lines in
French, Flemish, and quite understandable English. A fort or two at
Liege had fallen, but it was of no consequence. General Leman could
hold out indefinitely, and the mere fact that German soldiers had
entered the town of Liege counted for nothing. Belgium had virtually
won the war by holding up the immense German army. France was
overrunning Alsace, Russia was invading East Prussia and also
sending uncountable thousands of soldiers, via Archangel, to
England, whence they were being despatched to Calais for the relief
of Belgium.

"It looks," thought Vivie, after glancing at the _Independance
Belge_, "As though Belgium were going to be extremely interesting
during the next few weeks; I may be privileged to witness--from a
safe distance--another Waterloo."

Then she returned to the train which in her absence had been so
crowded with soldiers and civilian passengers that she had great
difficulty in finding her place and seating herself. The young man
whom she had seen pacing the deck of the steamer approached her and
said: "There is more room in my compartment; in fact I have
selfishly got one all to myself. Won't you share it?"

She thanked him and moved in there with her suit case and rugs.
When the train had started and she had parried one or two polite
enquiries as to place and ventilation, she said: "I think I ought to
tell you who I am, in case you would not like to be seen speaking to
me--I imagine you are in diplomacy, as I noticed you went through
with a Red passport.--I am Vivien Warren, just out of prison, and an
outlaw, more or less."

"'The outlaws of to-day are the in-laws of to-morrow,' as the
English barrister said when he married the Boer general's daughter.
I have thought I recognized you. I have heard you speak at Lady
Maud's and also at Lady Feenix's Suffrage parties. My name is Hawk.
I suppose you've been in prison for some Suffrage offence? So has my
aunt, for the matter of that."