To believe what people tell you, you must first believe in the people.
If you can find one person to believe in in a lifetime, and that one person is yourself, you are lucky!
One day, towards the end of September, I heard an old professor from Liège University talking to a young Bruxellois with a black moustache and piercing black eyes, who had arrived that day at our hotel.
"So you are going back at once to Brussels, Monsieur?" said the old professor in his shaky voice.
"Yes, Monsieur! Why don't you come with me?"
"I have not the courage!"
"Courage! But there is nothing to fear! You come along with me, and I'll see you through all right. I assure you the trains run right into Brussels now. The Germans leave us Bruxellois alone. They're trying to win our favour. They never interfere with us. There is not the slightest danger. And there is not half so much trouble and difficulty to get in and out of Brussels as there is to get in and out Antwerp. You get into a train at Ghent, go to Grammont, and there change into a little train that takes you straight to Brussels. They never ask us for our passports now. For myself, I have come backwards and forwards from Brussels half a dozen times this last fortnight on special missions for our Government. I have never been stopped once. If you'll trust yourself to me, I'll see you safely through!"
"I desire to go very much!" muttered the old man. "There are things in Liège that I must attend to. But to get to Liège I must go through Brussels. It seems to me there is a great risk, a very great risk."
"No risk at all!" said the young Bruxellois cheerfully.
That evening at dinner, the young man aforesaid was introduced to me by Mr. Frank Fox, of the Morning Post, who knew him well.