is a pity some of the rest of us childless slackers had not done as
well as Josephine. She took her risk. She was lucky."

"She did," replied the Nurse, "but she did not realize anything of
that. She was too simple, too unanalytic."

"I wonder?" said the Critic.

"You need not, I know." Her eyes fell on the Lawyer, and she caught a
laugh in his eye. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"Well," said the Lawyer, "I was only thinking. She was religious, that
dear little Josephine?"

"At least she always went to church."

"I know the type," said the Violinist, gently. "Accepted what she was
taught, believed it."

"Exactly," said the Lawyer, "that is what I was getting at. Well then,
when her son meets her _au dela_--he will ask for his father--"

"Or," interrupted the Violinist, "his own mother will claim him."

"Don't worry," laughed the Critic. "It's dollars to doughnuts that she
was 'dear little Josephine' to all the Heavenly Host half an hour
after she entered the 'gates of pearl.' Don't look shocked. That is
not sacrilegious. It is intentions--motives, that are immortal, not
facts. Besides--"

"Don't push that idea too far," interrupted the Doctor from the door.

"Don't be alarmed. I was only going to say--there are Ik Marvels _au
dela_--"

"I knew that idea was in your head. Drop it!" laughed the Doctor.

"Anyway," said the Violinist, "if Life is but a dream, she had a
pretty one. Good night." And he went up to bed, and we all soon
followed him, and I imagine not one of us, as we looked out into the
moonlit air, thought that night of war.

III

THE CRITIC'S STORY

'TWAS IN THE INDIAN SUMMER

THE TALE OF AN ACTRESS

The next day, just as we were sitting down to dinner, the news came
that Namur had fallen. The German army had marched singing into the
burning town the afternoon before. The Youngster had his head over a
map almost all through dinner. The Belgians were practically pushed
out of all but Antwerp, and the Germans were rapidly approaching the
natural defences of France running from Lille to Verdun, through
Valenciennes, Mauberge, Hirson and Mezieres.

Things were beginning to look serious, although we still insisted on
believing that the Germans could not break through. One result of the
march of events was that we none of us had any longer the smallest
desire to argue. Theories were giving way to the facts of every day,
but in our minds, I imagine, we were every one of us aski