Jack released and fitted
out with a _laisser-passer_ to return to Brussels. He was insulted in
good shape, and told that if he came back again, sent by the Minister or
by anybody else, he would be chucked into jail and stay there. Before
the nurses were taken down to their prison, the Adjutant shook his fist
in Miss Hozier's face, and told her that they were going to give her a
good lesson, so that the English should have a taste of the sort of
treatment they were meting out to German nurses and doctors that fell
into their hands.

The Mayor and Aldermen took Jack in charge when he was released, and
kept him in one of their homes until time for the train to leave for
Brussels at midnight. They were convinced that he would be arrested
again at the station, but he did get off in a car filled with sick
soldiers and arrived here without mishap at three o'clock or a little
after.

I went over to see von der Lancken the first thing in the morning, and
told him the whole story, in order that he might be thinking over what
he was going to do about it before the Minister went over to see him at
eleven. The Minister said his say in plain language, and got a promise
that steps would be taken at once to get the girls out of prison and
have them brought to Brussels. Later in the day von der Lancken came
through with the information that the action of the authorities at Mons
was "_due to a misunderstanding_," and that everything was lovely now.
We suppose that the girls will be here to-morrow; if not, inquiries will
be made and the Minister will probably go down himself.

Yesterday morning we spent visiting soup kitchens, milk stations, and
the distributing centres for supplying old clothes to the poor. The
whole thing is under one organisation and most wonderfully handled. It
is probably the biggest thing of the sort that has ever been undertaken
and is being done magnificently.

It is a curious thing to watch the Commission grow. It started as
nothing but a group of American mining engineers, with the sympathetic
aid of some of our diplomatic representatives and the good-will of the
neutral world. It is rapidly growing into a powerful international
entity, negotiating agreements with the Great Powers of Europe, enjoying
rights that no Government enjoys, and as the warring governments come to
understand its sincerity and honesty, gaining influence and authority
day by day.

There is no explanation of the departure of von der