promised Mrs. Robey I'd be in to tea; the boys are
back from school, you know."

"Oh, yes, of course! I suppose they are. Well,
you must come in some other day before you leave
Witanbury."

She hurried through into the garden.

"I hope Jervis Blake hasn't been here very long,
darling," she said fondly. "Of course I know he's
your friend, and that you've always liked him. But
I'm afraid he would rather jar on one today. He's
always so disliked the Germans! Poor fellow, how
he must feel out of it, now that the war he's always
been talking about has actually come!"

"Well, mother, Jervis was right after all. The
Germans were preparing for war."

But Mrs. Otway went on as if she had not heard
the interruption. It was a way she had, and sometimes
both Rose and old Anna found it rather trying.
"This morning Miss Forsyth was saying she thought
young Blake would enlist -- that she'd enlist if she were
in his place! It's odd what nonsense she sometimes
talks."

Rose remained silent and her mother continued.
"I've so many things to tell you I hardly know where
to begin. It was a very interesting committee, more
lively than usual. There seemed a notion among
some of the people there that there will be war work
of some kind for us to do. Lady Bethune thought
so -- though I can't see how the war can affect any of
us, here, in Witanbury. But just as we were breaking
up, Lady Bethune told us some interesting things.
There are, she says, two parties in the Government --
one party wants us to send out troops to help Belgium,

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