“Well ... I don’t myself agree with anything of that kind,” said Auntie Mitt gently. “It certainly does not seem to me a very manly way of fighting.” “It isn’t. But unfortunately it’s the way that’s in fashion,” said Vic. “It is very horrible,” said Mrs Dare, busy with her knitting also and thinking of her two, one of whom would probably sooner or later be exposed to these barbarous novelties of civilised warfare. “But of course they respect the Red Cross men,”--in which case Con at all events might possibly return alive. “Oh, they’ll respect the Red Cross all right, Mrs Mother,” said the Colonel, catching her last words as he strode in, with an early evening paper in his hand. “They’re big fighters but they’re civilised and they’ll fight like Christians.” “What a horrible expression!” said Mrs Dare. “Fight like Christians!” “Yes,--I apologise and withdraw. You are quite right, Mrs Mother,” with an old-fashioned little bow towards her. “It was not happily expressed.... And yet Christians have to fight at times, and if ever fighting was justified it is now--on our side. We’re fighting for Right and for the rights of everybody outside Germany. Never in the history of the world was there a more righteous war as far as we are concerned. And so we are fighting like--or if you prefer it--as Christians.” “Yes, I prefer it that way. It is my only consolation when I think of the boys. They are fighting for the Right.” “When they get to it,” said Honor. “What’s the latest, Colonel? Does Liége still stand where it did?” “It stands marvellously--the forts that is. The Germans seem to have the town, but the forts are still alive and kicking. It’s simply marvellous how those Belgians have suddenly transformed themselves into the pluckiest fighters the world has ever seen. Marvellous! No one ever believed they could hold Germany’s millions for a day, and here they’ve kept them at bay for a whole fortnight and given France time to get herself in order. If the rest of the war goes the same way there can be no doubt as to how it will end.” “Doubt?” echoed Vic scornfully. “You don’t mean to dare to say you’ve ever had any doubts as to how it would end, Uncle Tony?” “There speaks Young England,--always cocksure of winning and inclined to despise the enemy. If you had seen as much of war as I have, my dear, you would be cocksure of nothing, except that you’d do your duty to the last gasp and would have to leave the rest to Providence. Germany is a tremendous fighting-machine. We have a tough job before us, but we’re fighting for the Right and please God we’ll win. It’s good to see the new spirit the war is evoking everywhere. Great Britain and Ireland shoulder to shoulder, and India and all the colonies rushing to help. It’s magnificent,--simply magnificent.”