Trouble accommodatingly waits for him wherever he goes, because he has a gift for taking care of trouble, in the ascendency of a cheerful spirit and much knowledge of international law. His present for the Minister who daily received stacks of letters from all sources asking the impossible, as well as from Americans who wanted to be sure that the food they gave was not being purloined by the Germans, was a rubber stamp, “Blame-it-all--there’s-a-state-of-war-in-Belgium!” which he suggested might save typewriting--a recommendation which the Minister refused to accept, not to Gibson’s surprise. On that Christmas afternoon and evening, the people promenaded the streets as usual. You might have thought it a characteristic Christmas afternoon or evening except for the Landsturm patrols. But there was an absence of the old gaiety, and they were moving as if from habit and moving was all there was to do. They had heard the sound of the guns at Dixmude the night before. Didn’t the sound seem a little nearer? No. The wind from that direction was stronger. When? When would the Allies come? XI THE FUTURE OF BELGIUM A buffer state divided in itself--Her ideals those of prosperity-- False sentiment regarding the Belgians--Not a war-like people-- Moral force of her plutocracy--Ruins exaggerated--German policy of destruction--“Mass” logic--A military occupancy, merciless and crafty--“Reprisals” of the Belgians--Louvain--The bread line at Liége--Politics and German propaganda--Her Belgian policy worthy of England at her best--England still true to her ideals. In former days the traveller hardly thought of Belgium as possessing patriotic homogeneity. It was a land of two languages, French and Flemish. He was puzzled to meet people who looked like well-to-do mechanics, artisans, or peasants and find that they could not answer a simple question in French. This explained why a people so close to France, though they made Brussels a little Paris, would not join the French family and enter into the spirit and body of that great civilisation on their borders, whose language was that of their own literature. Belgium seemed to have no character. Its nationality was the artificial product of European politics; a buffer divided in itself, which would be neither French nor German nor definitely Belgian. In later times Belgium had prospered enormously. It had developed the resources of the Congo in a way that had aroused a storm of criticism. Old King Leopold made the most of his neutral position to gain advantages which no one of the great powers might enjoy because of jealousies. The International Sleeping-Car Company was Belgian and Belgian capitalists secured concessions here and there, wherever the small tradesman might slip into openings suitable to his size. Leopold was not above crumbs; he made them profitable. Leopold liked to make money and Belgium liked to make money.