expecting a descent on the town by the French, and
on one night it was rumoured that a strong force had
actually landed, and was marching on the city! Yet
the writer of that diary -- he was only a humble blacksmith --
had put in simple and yet very noble language
his conviction that old England would never go down,
_if_only_she_remained_true_to_herself._

It was this fine message from the past which the
Dean brought to the people of Witanbury that day.
What had been true when we had been fighting a far
greater man than any of those we were fighting today --
he meant of course Napoleon -- was even truer now
than then. All would be, must be, ultimately well, if
England to herself would stay but true.

A few of those who listened with uplifted hearts to
the really inspiriting discourse, noted with satisfaction
that, for the first time since the declaration of war, Dr.
Haworth paid no tribute to the enemy. The word
"Germany" did not even pass his lips.

And then, when at the end of the service Mrs. Otway
and Rose were passing through the porch, Mrs.
Otway felt herself touched on the arm. She turned
round quickly to find Mrs. Haworth close to her.

"I've been wondering if Rose would come back with
me and see Edith? I'm sorry to say the poor child
isn't at all well today. And so we persuaded her to
stay in bed. You see" -- she lowered her voice, and
that though there was no one listening to them --
"you see, we hear privately that the cavalry were very
heavily engaged last Wednesday, and that the casualties
have been terribly heavy. My poor child says very
little, but it's evident that she's so miserably anxious
that she can think of nothing else. Her father thinks

[[183]]

p182 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p183w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p184

v?