“I’m glad you insisted on coming,” she said softly. “It is a sight one could never forget,” and he was radiant. “And to think,” she said again, presently, “that over yonder the guns are booming and men are doing everything they know to kill one another! Isn’t it dreadful to think of--in face of this great silent wonder which takes one’s thoughts right up to God?” “It’s simply brutal.... I just hope whoever’s to blame for bringing it about will get whipped out of existence.” He could hardly drag her away. She vowed she could never weary of that most wonderful sight, and was certain it would begin to move if they only waited long enough. And so it was a very tired but very well-satisfied pair that dropped into the first chairs they came to in the homely little Riederalp Hotel, with barely enough energy left to arrange terms on the German plan. Next morning they came down the steep wooded ways by Oberried and Bitsch and the Massa gorge, and reached Brigue exactly fifteen minutes before a train started for Montreux. The run down the Rhone Valley and up to Montreux was full of enjoyment, tempered only by their doubts as to being able to get any further than that. Ray pointed out to her all the things he knew,--the new Lötschberg line away up on the opposite mountain-side,--the openings of Nicolai Thal, leading to Zermatt and Saas Fée,--the Val d’Anniviers leading to Zinal, and the Val d’Herens to Arolla, and promised to take her to them all when the times got re-jointed. Then they were at Martigny, and presently the flat delta and the upper end of the lake came into sight, and Chillon, and they were at Montreux. Ray enquired at once from the station-master as to trains for Paris. “Paris, mon Dieu?” jerked that much harassed official. “Ask again in a fortnight’s time, monsieur, and perhaps we shall know something then!” and Ray made at once for the Post Office and wrote out a telegram to Uncle Tony,--“Just arrived here. Both well. Lost purse. Send cash Poste Restante.” The young man behind the official window looked at the address and said in excellent English, “We can send it from here, but we cannot make sure it will ever get there. You see it must go through France or Germany, and they are fighting and everything is disarranged.... It is very awkward,” as they looked at one another in dismay. “Very awkward!” said Ray. “Please do your best. Are letters coming through?” “Not from England for some days. Doubtless in time matters will arrange themselves.” In time, doubtless! But the one thing about which there was no doubt whatever was the fact that they were in a strange land, cut off from communication with their own, and that the sum total of their united funds amounted to something under five pounds,--and there was no saying when they could procure more. XIV