_Vivie_: "Yes, but in her case they only sentenced her to the First
Division; whereas _I_ have been doing nine months' hard."

_Hawk_: "What was your crime?"

_Vivie_: "I admit nothing, it is always wisest. But I was accused of
burning down Mr. ----'s racing stables--and other things..."

_Hawk_: "_That_ beast. Well, I suppose it was very wrong. Can't
quite make up my mind about militancy, one way or the other. But
here we are up against the biggest war in history, and such
peccadilloes as yours sink into insignificance. By the bye, my aunt
was amnestied and so I suppose were you?"

_Vivie_: "Yes, but not so handsomely. I was requested to go away
from England for a time, so here I am, about to join my mother in
Brussels--or in a little country place near Brussels."

_Hawk_: "Well, I've been Secretary of Legation there. I'm just going
back to--to--well I'm just going back."

At Bruges they were told that the train would not leave for Ghent
and Brussels for another two hours--some mobilization delay; so Hawk
proposed they should go and see the Memlings and then have some
dinner.

"Don't you think they're perfectly wonderful?"--_apropos_ of the
pictures in the Hospital of St. Jean.

_Vivie_: "It depends on what you mean by 'wonderful.' If you admire
the fidelity of the reproduction in colour and texture of the
Flemish costumes of the fifteenth century, I agree with you. It is
also interesting to see the revelations of their domestic
architecture and furniture of that time, and the types of domestic
dog, cow and horse. But if you admire them as being true pictures of
life in Palestine in the time of Christ, or in the Rhineland of the
fifth century, then I think they--like most Old Masters--are
perfectly rotten. And have you ever remarked another thing about all
paintings prior to the seventeenth century: how _plain_, how _ugly_
all the people are? You never see a single good-looking man or
woman. Do let's go and have that dinner you spoke of. I've got a
prison appetite."

At Ghent another delay and a few uneasy rumours. The Court was said
to be removing from Brussels and establishing itself at Antwerp. The
train at last drew into the main station at Brussels half an hour
after midnight. Vivie's mother was nowhere to be seen. She had
evidently gone back to the Villa Beau-sejour while she could. It was
too late for any tram in the direction of Tervueren. There were no
taxis owing to the drivers being called