o American bank notes. This money would help
him to reach Brussels and once there, if Vivie would consent to pass
as his wife, he might convey her out of Belgium into Holland, as two
Americans working under the Relief Committee.

It had been excessively difficult and dangerous crossing the War
zone and getting into occupied Belgium. There was some hint in his
talk of an Alsatian spy who helped him at this stage, one of those
"sanspatries" who spied impartially for both sides and sold any one
they could sell (Fortunately after the Armistice most of these
Judases were caught and shot). The spy had probably at first
blackmailed him when he was in Belgium--which is why of the Five
hundred pounds in dollar notes there only remained about a third in
his possession when he reached Brussels--and then denounced him to
the authorities, for a reward.

But his main misfortune lay in the long delay before he reached
Brussels. During that time, the entire American diplomatic and
consular staff was leaving Belgium; and the Emperor was arriving
more or less secretly in Brussels (it was said in the hope that a
personal talk with Brand Whitlock might stave off the American
declaration of war).

Bertie on his arrival dared not to go to the American legation for
fear of being found out and disavowed. So he had asked his way in
very "English" French, and wearing the semi-military uniform of an
American Relief officer--to the Hotel "Edward-Sett," where he
supposed Vivie would be or could be heard of. When he reached the
Hotel Imperial and asked for "Miss Warren," he had been at once
arrested. Indeed probably his steps had been followed all the way
from the railway station to the door of the hotel by a plain-clothes
German policeman. The Germans were convinced just then that many
Englishmen and some American cranks were out to assassinate the
Kaiser. They took Bertie's appearance at the door of the Hotel
Imperial as a proof of his intention. They considered him to have
been caught red-handed, especially as he had a revolver concealed on
his person and was obviously travelling with false passports.

"Ah, Bertie," said Vivie, when they first met in his cell at
Saint-Gilles prison. "If _only_ I had not led you into this! I am
mad with myself..."

"Are you, miss? But 'oo could 'a foreseen this war would come along!
We thought all we 'ad to fight was the Police and the 'Ome Office to
get the Vote. And _then_, you'd 'a bin able to come out i