Boom—boom—rumble—rumble—boom! came the dull thundering out of the north. Every window was shaking and humming.
"A devil of a row," remarked Gray, restlessly.
"You've heard that the German shells are already falling on Ausone, haven't you?"
"No. Are they?"
Warner drew a brief picture of what he had seen that afternoon in Ausone, and the Englishman listened, intensely interested.
"And I don't know," he ended, "what is to prevent the Germans from battering the Ausone Fort to pieces if they have silenced those big Belgian fortresses around Namur. In that case, we'll have their charming Uhlans here in another forty-eight hours——"
He checked himself as Madame de Moidrey knocked and entered, followed by a maid with Gray's dinner on a tray.
"Thank you, Jim; you may go and dress now. Mr. Gray, you are to dine a little earlier, if you don't mind—Suzanne, place the tray on this tabouret. Now, shall I help you, Mr. Gray?"
"Thanks, so much; but I am detaining you from dinner——"
"No, indeed. Let me help you a little——" arranging a napkin for him and uncovering his cup of fragrant broth.