ENVOI

Inspect my goods and choose a few
Dear Margaret, and Edward, too;
Then sink them in the Lake of Dreams
In dim, gold depths where sunshine streams
Down from the sky's unclouded blue,
And I'll be much obliged to you.

R. W. C.

FOREWORD

An American ambulance going south stopped on the snowy road; the
driver, an American named Estridge, got out; his companion, a young
woman in furs, remained in her seat.

Estridge, with the din of the barrage in his ears, went forward to
show his papers to the soldiers who had stopped him on the snowy
forest road.

His papers identified him and the young woman; and further they
revealed the fact that the ambulance contained only a trunk and some
hand luggage; and called upon all in authority to permit John Henry
Estridge and Miss Palla Dumont to continue without hindrance the
journey therein described.

The soldiers--Siberian riflemen--were satisfied and seemed friendly
enough and rather curious to obtain a better look at this American
girl, Miss Dumont, described in the papers submitted to them as
"American companion to Marie, third daughter of Nicholas Romanoff,
ex-Tzar."

An officer came up, examined the papers, shrugged.

"Very well," he said, "if authority is to be given this American lady
to join the Romanoff family, now under detention, it is not my
affair."

But he, also, appeared to be perfectly good natured about the matter,
accepting a cigarette from Estridge and glancing at the young woman in
the ambulance as he lighted it.

"You know," he remarked, "if it would interest you and the young
lady, the Battalion of Death is over yonder in the birch woods."

"The woman's battalion?" asked Estridge.

"Yes. They make their debut to-day. Would you like to see them?
They're going forward in a few minutes, I believe."

Estridge nodded and walked back to the ambulance.

"The woman's battalion is over in those birch woods, Miss Dumont.
Would you care to walk over and see them before they leave for the
front trenches?"

The girl in furs said very gravely:

"Yes, I wish to see women who are about to go into battle."

She rose from the seat, laid a fur-gloved hand on his offered arm, and
stepped down onto the snow.

"To serve," she said, as they started together through the silver
birches, following a trodden way, "is n