Mrs. Manning motioned her to silence with a wave of her hand. "Hush, Tibbie," she rebuked her. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Harry laid aside his sketch. Tommy dropped to all fours, glad of escape from further training, and stood wagging his tail. Bertie ran forward with the little Union Jack in his hand. "What's this? What's this?" he cried.
Lillian snatched the flag from him and stuck it in the lattice of the arbor, where it flopped feebly. There was something in Bertie's act which struck terror to her soul. So might he run forward some day with flag in hand to be stricken down by the enemy. She dashed past Tibbie, almost upsetting her and a tray of teacups, and on to the house, into which she disappeared.
Mrs. Manning took the paper into her shaking hand, tried to adjust her glasses, then threw down the paper. "Tell us, Ernest," she said, "that will be the quicker way of getting at it. One can't waste time in wading through a newspaper."
"The Germans have invaded Belgium. They are marching on toward France."
"And Belgium?"
"Resists, of course. I knew what was coming when war was declared upon Serbia. We cannot allow Belgium to suffer. We shall be in it in no time."
"But are we ready?"
"No, but Germany is. She has been preparing for forty years."
Harry and Bertie wheeled around suddenly to face each other. They clasped hands, looking steadily in each other's eyes, but neither spoke a word.