II LETTERS FROM THE FRONT III AMERICAN RELIEF WORK BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS GRANDE PLACE AND BELFRY, FURNES (_in full colour_) _Frontispiece._. MAP OF BELGIUM THE ROYAL PALACE, BRUSSELS BURGOMASTER MAX AMERICAN LEGATION, BRUSSELS LIBRARY, AMERICAN LEGATION, BRUSSELS MARIE JOSÉ, THE LITTLE PRINCESS COMTESSE DE FLANDRE PALAIS D'URSEL M. CARTON DE WIART, MINISTER OF JUSTICE A FLEMISH _KERMESSE_ (_in full colour_) YSAYE HOUGOMONT COMTE DE FLANDRE, SECOND SON OF KING ALBERT ANCIENT BOURSE, ANTWERP THÉÂTRE DE LA MONNAIE, BRUSSELS LEOPOLD I LEOPOLD II KING ALBERT QUEEN ELIZABETH BARON DE BROQUEVILLE AN OLD LACEMAKER (_in full colour_) BRUSSELS POINT LACE "SINCE THE WAR BEGAN, DOGS HAVE BEEN OF GREAT SERVICE IN DRAGGING THE MITRAILLEUSES" DIANA TAPESTRY DAVID AND GOLIATH TAPESTRY "L'HOMME À L'OEUILLET."--VAN EYCK ST. LUKE PAINTING THE MADONNA.--VAN DER WEYDEN PORTRAIT OF A MAN AND HIS WIFE.--RUBENS CHARLES I AND HIS FAMILY.--VAN DYCK MAURICE MAETERLINCK EMILE VERHAEREN CORNER OF THE COURTYARD, PLANTYN-MORETUS MUSEM, ANTWERP LAC D'AMOUR, BRUGES COUNT EGMONT'S TOWER, HERZÈLE SAND DUNES, NIEUPORT (_in full colour_) CLOTH HALL, YPRES, AFTER BOMBARDMENT SPIRE OF THE CATHEDRAL, ANTWERP CATHEDRAL, ANTWERP INTERIOR OF AN OLD HOUSE, ANTWERP WELL OF QUENTIN MATSYS, ANTWERP A VILLAGE IN THE ARDENNES (_in full colour_) PRINCE HENRI DE CROŸ GENERAL VIEW OF LIÈGE CHÂTEAU DE WAULSORT ON THE MEUSE (_in full colour_) ROCK OF BAYARD, DINANT OLD HOUSES ON THE SAMBRE, NAMUR CITADEL, NAMUR (_in full colour_) NIEUPORT (_in full colour_) CARDINAL MERCIER THE BELGIAN ARMY BELGIAN REFUGEES THE CHÂTEAU OF ARDENNE CROWN PRINCE LEOPOLD, DUC DE BRABANT THE BELGIAN ARMY AT LA PANNE THE _HARPALYCE_ MADAME VANDERVELDE [Illustration: _Sketch Map of BELGIUM and part of HOLLAND_] THE SPELL OF BELGIUM CHAPTER I THE NEW POST The winter which I spent in Belgium proved a unique niche in my experience, for it showed me the daily life and characteristics of a people of an old civilization as I could never have known them from casual meetings in the course of ordinary travel.