a rifle on his
shoulder strode into the dining-room and handed me a paper; great
excitement, as everybody thought we had been arrested. The paper was a
pass for us to circulate on the streets after dark, so that we could go
over to the headquarters. It was written on the back of a menu in
pencil. Although dinner was over the entire mess was still gathered
about the table discussing beer and Weltpolitik. At the head of the
table was Excellenz Lieutenant-General von Somethingorother, who was
commanding a German army on the eastern front when they got within
fifteen miles of Warsaw. After being driven back he had an official
"nervous breakdown," and was sent here as Governor of the Province of
Liege--quite a descent, and enough to cause a nervous breakdown. There
was another old chap who had fought in the Franco-Prussian war and had
not yet quite caught up with this one. I foregathered with Renner and
got my shop talk done in a very short time. Then everybody set to to
explain to us about the war and what they fought each other for. It was
very interesting to get the point of view, and we stayed on until nearly
midnight, tramping home through a tremendous downpour, which soaked us.

The next morning at eleven I met Sunderland. We saw the Governor and the
Mayor and Echevins, and talked things out at length. I had to collect a
part of the cost of the food before I could turn it over, and they
explained that the chairman of the local committee had gone to Brussels
to negotiate a loan; he would be back in four or five days and if I
would just wait, they would settle everything beautifully. That did not
please me, so I suggested in my usual simple and direct way that the
Governor rob the safe and pay me with provincial funds, trusting to be
paid later by the committee. It took some little argument to convince
him, but he had good nerve, and by half-past twelve he brought forth
275,000 francs in bank-notes and handed them over to me for a receipt.
Sticking this into my pocket, I made ready to get under way, but there
was nothing for it but that I must lunch with them all. Finally I
accepted, on the understanding that it would be short and that I could
get away immediately afterward. That was not definite enough, however,
for we sat at table until four o'clock and then listened to some
speeches.

When we got down the home stretch, the Governor arose and made a very
neat little speech, thanking us for what we had done to get foo