ype, which, with the best intentions in the world,
has made life hard for other women.

Mr. Goodman gradually worked back to his old grievance.

"This is a time for every man to do his bit, and here am I too old to
go and with no son to represent me--I who came from a family of six
sons! Anyway, why doesn't the Government pass conscription and drag
out the slackers who lounge in the parks and crowd the theaters?"

Aunt Louisa paused in the act of helping herself to marmalade and
regarded him with great displeasure; then cried shrilly:--

"Now, Arthur, that is nothing short of treason, for I tell you we will
not allow our dear boys to be taken away like galley-slaves; I tell
you Britons never, never shall be slaves, and I for one will never let
my Bertie go--his young life is too precious to be thrown away. I
spent too many nights nursing him through every infantile
disease--measles, whooping-cough,--you know yourself, my dear
Clara,--beside the times that he broke his arm and his leg; though I
still think that the cold compress is the best for a delicate
constitution, and I actually ordered the doctor out of the house--"

"What has that to do with conscription?" asked her brother-in-law
gruffly. "I tell you it is coming and no one will be gladder than I
am."

"I think it is nothing short of unkind the way that you have been
speaking of the Germans. I know I never got muffins like the muffins I
got in Berlin that time; and, anyway, there are plenty of the commoner
people to go to fight, and they have such large families that they
will not miss one as I would miss my Bertie, and he has just recently
become engaged to such a dear girl! In our home we simply try to
forget this stupid war, but when I come here I hear nothing else--I
wonder how you stand it, dear Clara."

Aunt Louisa here dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief in a way that
her brother-in-law particularly detested.

"You will hear more about the war some of these days," he said, "when
a German Zeppelin drops bombs on London."

Aunt Louisa came as near snorting as a well-bred lady could come, so
great was her disdain at this suggestion.

"Zeppelin!" she said scornfully--"on England!! You forget, sir, that
we are living in a civilized age! Zeppelin! Indeed, and who would let
them, I wonder! I am surprised at you, sir, and so is mother, although
she has not spoken."

"You will probably be more surprised before long; life is full of
surprises these d