From Convent to Conflict; Or, A Nun's Account of the Invasion of BelgiumMarie Antoine, Sister
History
From Convent to Conflict; Or, A Nun's Account of the Invasion of Belgium
Marie Antoine, Sister
Couvent des Filles de Marie (Willebroeck, Belgium); World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Belgium
One afternoon during the last week of our visit in England a message was
received from members of the Relief Committee in Bradford, asking for an
interpreter to come to the assistance of some refugees at Oakwood, whose
affairs had become complicated. Two of us set out immediately and
arrived at the office of the Relief Committee to hold a conference on
the subject. It was decided to visit Oakwood at once and make a thorough
investigation of the case. A party of three or four ladies, led by the
Hon. Mr. D——, of the Relief Committee, arrived in a motor car at the
entrance to the lovely manor of Oakwood just as the heavy branches of
the ancient oaks had succeeded in closing out the last rays of the
setting sun.
Mr. D—— advanced with a firm determination to make short work of the
matter and settle the difficulties with one good bang of his big cane.
He entered the portal, followed by the ladies, and stood a moment before
the beautiful plate-glass doors, through which the light of the hall
lamp was reflecting in all the colors of the rainbow on the oak carvings
of the outer doors. Not finding the bell, he tapped gently on the door
with the top of his cane. Again and again this act was repeated, but no
response came, although voices inside were distinctly audible.
Becoming quite impatient, Mr. D—— lifted his cane and struck the door
one or two resounding blows, which were calculated to attract the
attention of the indifferent people within. A deathly silence ensued for
a few moments, and then a chorus of women’s voices began to cry out,
“Call the police! Call the police! ’Tis burglars! What do they mean by
coming here and breaking down our doors?” One old lady approached the
door and asked: “Who is there, and what do you want? We’re frightened
almost to death. Is that the way to do, to come and pound on the door in
that manner?” By this time Mr. D—— had succeeded in making himself
heard, as he answered in a tone of sincere sorrow, “I beg pardon,
ladies, I really beg pardon. I meant no harm. I meant no harm at all.”
By this time the door was partially opened and three panic-stricken old
ladies appeared within, while Mr. D——, with his hat in one hand and the
offending cane in the other, was bowing most meekly and making elaborate
excuses to the ladies, who, seeing the humble attitude of the supposed
burglar, ceased to call for the police and were disposed to answer any
reasonable question.
“Will you be kind enough to lead us to the Belgian refugees?” asked Mr.
D——. “But,” said one of the ladies, “there are no Belgians here. You’ve
made a mistake. The refugees are living in the castle yonder on the next
manor.”
Thanking these good ladies for the information, and again begging pardon
for intrusion, we left the portal with more humble feelings than when we
entered and proceeded to the next castle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account