bombardment raging all the time, arrived at our destination, only to hear that the workman had left the town in the morning, and had not been able to re-enter it. The people of the house showed us the greatest kindness, especially on hearing who we were, and insisted on our spending the night in their cellar, saying it was far too dangerous to go out again. We thanked them for their offer, but of course set off again for the Monastery. Just as we arrived at the Grand’Place, Hélène, who had already rendered such valuable services to the community came running towards us. She was breathless and almost crying, having been searching for us everywhere; we had been out so long, and the bombardment had been so continuous, that the nuns thought we must have been killed. We soon got safely home, where we found everyone in a dreadful state of anxiety.’ On hearing the continual explosions, Mother Prioress and the community had knelt down by the enclosure door, to pray for the safe return of Dame Columban and Dame Bernard. As they delayed so long, Reverend Mother sent Edmund to ask Hélène to look for them. Having done so, Edmund returned and did his best to persuade the nuns that there was no need to leave the Abbey. ‘You have your cellars to shelter you, why do you want to go? What will become of me, when you are gone? If a bomb falls on the convent, well, it will be the will of God. Why not die here as well as anywhere else?’ We shall see later, that when the shell really did fall on the Abbey, the good man was anything but resigned to die. As he perceived that he gained nothing by his eloquence, he went out into the street, and soon returned with a soldier, to see if the new-comer might not be more successful. The soldier was at first rather bewildered at his new surroundings, being an English Protestant, but was soon set at ease on finding that we talked English. At this moment the two wanderers came back, and set everyone’s heart at ease. Of course there was no longer a question of our leaving that night, especially as the soldier assured us that there was no danger that the Germans would get into Ypres, adding that our cellars would be proof against all their bombs. Edmund, by this time, was triumphant, and pulling out his cigar-case, offered it to the ‘Tommy,’ who insisted on his accepting a cigarette in return. Edmund then began to relate the story of his woes. ‘What should I have to eat, if they were to go?’ he exclaimed. ‘Imagine, the other day the Sister brought me my dinner. What did I see? I could hardly believe my eyes! A piece of beef-steak. I sat down in high glee; for I do not remember when I had had a piece before. What was my disappointment to find what I had taken to be a beef-steak was nothing else than a piece of fried brown bread. I could have thrown it in the fire.’ The soldier then took his leave, though not before Mother Prioress had given him a badge of the Sacred Heart,