said; “and indeed I have had no cause to complain, for the season has been very good. But this war—it will ruin us innkeepers—there will be no more travelers. Already, I hear, Spa, Ostend, Carlsbad, Baden—such places as those—are deserted just when the season should be at its best. What do you think of it—this war?”

“Most probably it is just another scare,” said Stewart. “War seems scarcely possible in these days—it is too cruel, too absurd. An agreement will be reached.”

“I am sure I hope so, sir; but it looks very bad. For three days now our troops have been passing through Aachen toward the frontier.”

[Pg 41]

[Pg 41]

“How far away is the frontier?”

“About ten miles. The customhouse is at Herbesthal.”

“Ten miles!” echoed Stewart in surprise. “The frontier of France?”

“Oh, no—the frontier of Belgium.”

“But why should they concentrate along the Belgian frontier?” Stewart demanded.

“Perhaps they fear an attack from that direction. Or perhaps,” she added, calmly, “they are preparing to seize Belgium. I have often heard it said that Belgium should belong to Germany.”

“But look here,” protested Stewart, hotly, “Germany can’t seize a country just because it happens to be smaller and weaker than she is!”

“Can’t she?” inquired the landlady, seemingly astonished at his indignation. “Why is that?”

Her eyes were shining strangely as she lowered them to her knitting; and there was a moment’s silence, broken only by the rapid clicking of her needles. For Stewart found himself unable to answer her question. Ever since history began, big countries had been seizing smaller ones, and great powers crushing weaker ones. If Austria might seize Bosnia and Italy Tripoli, why might not Germany seize Belgium? And he suddenly realized [Pg 42]that, in spite of protests and denials and hypocrisies, between nation and nation the law of the jungle was, even yet, 

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