"It looks," thought Vivie, after glancing at the _Independance Belge_, "As though Belgium were going to be extremely interesting during the next few weeks; I may be privileged to witness--from a safe distance--another Waterloo." Then she returned to the train which in her absence had been so crowded with soldiers and civilian passengers that she had great difficulty in finding her place and seating herself. The young man whom she had seen pacing the deck of the steamer approached her and said: "There is more room in my compartment; in fact I have selfishly got one all to myself. Won't you share it?" She thanked him and moved in there with her suit case and rugs. When the train had started and she had parried one or two polite enquiries as to place and ventilation, she said: "I think I ought to tell you who I am, in case you would not like to be seen speaking to me--I imagine you are in diplomacy, as I noticed you went through with a Red passport.--I am Vivien Warren, just out of prison, and an outlaw, more or less." "'The outlaws of to-day are the in-laws of to-morrow,' as the English barrister said when he married the Boer general's daughter. I have thought I recognized you. I have heard you speak at Lady Maud's and also at Lady Feenix's Suffrage parties. My name is Hawk. I suppose you've been in prison for some Suffrage offence? So has my aunt, for the matter of that." _Vivie_: "Yes, but in her case they only sentenced her to the First Division; whereas _I_ have been doing nine months' hard." _Hawk_: "What was your crime?" _Vivie_: "I admit nothing, it is always wisest. But I was accused of burning down Mr. ----'s racing stables--and other things..." _Hawk_: "_That_ beast. Well, I suppose it was very wrong. Can't quite make up my mind about militancy, one way or the other. But here we are up against the biggest war in history, and such peccadilloes as yours sink into insignificance. By the bye, my aunt was amnestied and so I suppose were you?" _Vivie_: "Yes, but not so handsomely. I was requested to go away from England for a time, so here I am, about to join my mother in Brussels--or in a little country place near Brussels." _Hawk_: "Well, I've been Secretary of Legation there. I'm just going back to--to--well I'm just going back." At Bruges they were told that the train would not leave for Ghent and Brussels for another two hours--some mobilization delay; so Hawk proposed they should go and see the Memlings and then have some dinner. "Don't you think they're perfectly wonderful?"--_apropos_ of the pictures in the Hospital of St. Jean.