rn in education and good
manners, tasteful in dress, speaking English marvellously well,
highly accomplished in music or with some other art, advocates of
the enfranchisement of women. The War came just too soon. Had Heaven
struck down that epilept Emperor and a few of his ministers, had
time been given for the New German Woman to assert herself in
politics, there would have been no invasion of Belgium, no
maltreatment of Servia. Germany would have ranged herself with the
Western powers and Western culture.

Minna von Stachelberg read her cousin's note and received the worn
and anxious-looking Vivie like a sister ... like a comrade, she
said, in the War for the Vote ... "which we will resume, my dear, as
soon as this dreadful Man's war is over, only we won't fight with
the same weapons."

But though kind, she was not gushing and she soon told Vivie that in
nursing she was a novice and had much to learn. She introduced her
to the German and Belgian surgeons, and then put her to a series of
entirely menial tasks from which she was to work her way up by
degrees. But if any English soldier were there and wanted sympathy,
she should be called in to his ward ... From that interview Vivie
returned almost happy.

In the hot summer months she would sometimes be allowed to accompany
Red Cross surgeons and nurses to the station, when convoys of
wounded were expected, if there was likelihood that British soldiers
would be amongst them. These would cheer up at the sound of her
pleasant voice speaking their tongue. Yet she would witness on such
occasions incongruous incidents of German brutality. Once there came
out of the train an English and a French soldier, great friends
evidently. They were only slightly wounded and the English soldier
stretched his limbs cautiously to relieve himself of cramp. At that
moment a German soldier on leave came up and spat in his face. The
Frenchman felled the German with a resounding box on the ear.
Alarums! Excursions! A German officer rushed up to enquire while the
Frenchman was struggling with two colossal German military policemen
and the Englishman was striving to free him. Vivie explained to the
officer what had occurred. He bowed and saluted: seized the
soldier-spitter by the collar and kicked him so frightfully that
Vivie had to implore him to cease.

Moreover the Red Placards of von Bissing were of increasing
frequency. As a rule Vivie only heard what other people said of
them, and t