nd window took its place. During the three days we stayed in
Louvain one proclamation succeeded another with almost the frequency of
special extras of evening newspapers when a big news story breaks in an
American city: The citizens were to surrender all firearms in their
possession; it would be immediately fatal to him if a man were caught
with a lethal weapon on his person or in his house. Tradespeople might
charge this or that price for the necessities of life, and no more. All
persons, except physicians and nurses in the discharge of their
professional duties, and gendarmes--the latter being now disarmed and
entirely subservient to the military authorities--must be off the
streets and public squares at a given time--to wit, nine p. m. Cafes
must close at the same hour. Any soldier who refused to pay for any
private purchase should be immediately reported at headquarters for
punishment. Upper front windows of all houses on certain specified
streets must be closed and locked after nightfall, remaining so until
daylight of the following morning; this notice being followed and
overlapped very shortly by one more amplifying, which prescribed that
not only must front windows be made fast, but all must have lights
behind them and the street doors must be left unlocked.

The portent of this was simple enough: If any man sought to fire on the
soldiers below he must first unfasten a window and expose himself in the
light; and after he fired admittance would be made easy for those who
came searching for him to kill him.

At first these placards were signed by the burgomaster, with the
military commandant's indorsement, and sometimes by both those
functionaries; but on the second day there appeared one signed by the
commandant only; and this one, for special emphasis, was bounded by wide
borders printed in bright red. It stated, with cruel brevity, that the
burgomaster, the senator for the district and the leading magistrate had
been taken into custody as hostages for the good conduct of their
constituents; and that if a civilian made any attack against the Germans
he would forfeit his own life and endanger the lives of the three
prisoners. Thus, inch by inch, the conquerors, sensing a growing spirit
of revolt among the conquered--a spirit as yet nowise visible on the
surface--took typically German steps to hold the rebellious people of
Louvain in hobbles. It was when we reached the Y-shaped square in the
middle of thi