nd he was the King's secretary, M. Ingenbleek. The
King heads this activity, and the Queen of the Belgians is never idle.
The Ocean Ambulance, the great Belgian base hospital, is under her
active supervision, and its location near the royal villa makes it
possible for her to visit it daily. She knows the wounded soldiers,
who adore her. Indeed, she is frankly beloved by the army. Her
appearance is always the signal for a demonstration; and again and
again I saw copies of her photograph nailed up in sentry huts, in
soldiers' billets, in battered buildings that were temporary
headquarters for divisions of the army.

In return for this devotion the young Queen regards the welfare of the
troops as her especial charge. She visits them when they are wounded,
and many tales are told of her keen memory for their troubles. One, a
wounded Frenchman, had lost his pipe when he was injured. As he
recovered he mourned his pipe. Other pipes were offered, but they were
not the same. There had been something about the curve of the stem of
the old one, or the shape of the bowl--whatever it was, he missed it.
And it had been his sole possession.

At last the Queen of the Belgians had him describe the old pipe
exactly. I believe he made a drawing--and she secured a duplicate of
it for him. He told me the story himself.

The Queen had wished to go to the trenches to see the wretchedness of
conditions at the front, and to discover what she could do to
ameliorate them. One excursion she had been permitted at the time I
saw her, to the great anxiety of those who knew of the trip. She was
quite fearless, and went into one of the trenches at the railroad
embankment of Pervyse. I saw that trench afterward. It was proudly
decorated with a sign that said: _Repose de la Reine_. And above the
board was the plaster head of a saint, from one of the churches. Both
sign and head, needless to say, were carefully protected from German
bullets.

Everywhere I went I found evidences of devotion to this girlish and
tender-hearted Queen. I was told of her farewell to the leading
officials of the army and of the court, when, having remained to the
last possible moment, King Albert insisted on her departure from
Brussels. I was told of her incognito excursions across the dangerous
Channel to see her children in England. I was told of her
single-hearted devotion to the King; her belief in him; her confidence
that he can do no wrong.

So, when a great and be