uring car had silently drawn up. Lucile
snatched the paper none too ceremoniously from Jack's hand and flew to
the machine, joyfully relieved to find her father and mother safe and
sound. She was closely followed by the others.

"Mother, Dad, I'm so glad to see you're back all right; we were awfully
worried!" she gasped. "But have you seen the paper? Oh, what does it
mean?"

"It means," said Mr. Payton, slowly, and with grim emphasis, "it means
that the sooner we leave the country behind and set foot on good old
United States soil the better it will be for all of us. Come, get in."

"But, Dad, how about dinner, and the theater, and all the other things we
were going to do?" Lucile wailed. "Have we got to give them all up?"

"Better to lose a little pleasure than find ourselves stranded in a
country at war and perhaps be unable to leave it. We haven't any time to
lose." It was the first time Lucile could remember ever hearing that tone
of command in her father's voice, and somehow she knew it must be obeyed
without question.

Silently, and as yet unable to comprehend the full extent of what had
occurred, the party, which had started out so merrily and under such
bright auspices in the morning, returned to their hotel.

Only once did Lucile shake off her preoccupation long enough to ask for
M. Charloix.

"Did you find him, Dad? We thought you might have had some trouble, you
were so long getting back."

"Oh, it did take more time than we expected, but it was worth the trouble
when we did find him." In spite of his anxiety, Mr. Payton's eyes
twinkled at the memory.

"But what did he do?" Phil broke in. "How did he take the news?"

"Running, I guess. Before I had half finished explaining to the lawyer,
he was off on a dead run for the chateau. Didn't even wait to hear about
the will."

"Then he doesn't know yet?" Phil cried.

"Of course he does, silly," said Lucile, with the air of one who knows
all there is to know of such matters. "Don't you suppose Jeanette has
told him long before this?"

Again Phil retreated gracefully. "Well, you know the lady," he admitted.

The rest of the trip passed quickly in visioning the joyful reunion of
the two young lovers, and it was not till they were fairly upon the inn
that the grim specter of war again intruded itself.

They found the same feverish excitement there as elsewhere, for the
newspapers had arrived with the mail and the dire news spread like
wildfire.

As