“_Ach!_” exclaimed one of these, in a tone of compassionate regret; “you Belgians can thank the British and French for this! What is it to them how many innocent beings are sacrificed to their senseless attacks in a vain effort to cripple us!” But, all unknown to the speaker, several tell-tale bits of the murderous missile, proving it to be of German origin, had already been gathered up and secreted by the Belgians present. The physician had one of these, and, unable to control his fury on hearing this _malin_ interpretation of the tragedy, he turned on the officer, his face white and quivering with reckless passion: “_Pas du tout!_” he cried; “no French or English hand committed this crime! Here is the proof!” He revealed the damning fragment. “Avions do not drop shrapnel, and neither you nor anyone can deny where that was made!” The officers scorned the suggestion, but withdrew, for they were unsupported by others in the midst of a silent but enraged crowd. One feature in the affair, which encouraged the belief that it had been arranged purposely, was that German soldiers immediately took possession of each locality where damage was done, ridding it of every condemning particle of shell. But fragments enough have been preserved by the Belgians as proof of a deed worthy only of those who committed it. In constant view of such trickery how could a neutral attitude of mind or heart be retained? The men of the American Alimentation Commission came to Belgium as friendly towards Germany as towards any other nation. Several of them, indeed, were somewhat biased in favour of the Prussian army, and all as prone as were we ourselves, in the beginning, to doubt the accounts of their atrocities. But before they left I believe there was not one whose last trace of respect for the occupying Powers was not destroyed by what he had witnessed with his own eyes during his sojourn in the country. Very many, as the world knows, lost no time, after leaving Belgium, to reveal their outraged sentiments by joining the Allied forces. Even before America came in, several of these gave their lives in fighting a wrong they were forced to recognize, despite their original determination to view all from a fair war-basis, and not be influenced by mere hearsay.