f travel, except by walking. Though Huy itself
might appear to be normal, no other part of the country was, as it was
easy to discover when an attempt was made to do even the most ordinary
things.

"Well, if we can't ride, we can start walking," said Paul. "If we wait
here we'll never get anywhere, that's sure. There's more confusion
here than there was at Liege, and a lot less reason. The thing to do
is to get away before they close the town up absolutely, so that we
can't even do that."

But even that resolution could not be carried out without difficulties.
For some reason--they learned later that it was because new troops were
advancing from that direction--they were not allowed to pass along the
road leading to Namur, which was the logical one for them to take in an
effort to reach Brussels. Their plan had been to pass through Gembloux
and Wavre, after turning around Namur. They were obliged, instead, to
start back toward Liege, turning north after a few miles and heading
for the railroad at Saint Trond.

"If we get that far I think we'll have a chance to get on a train,"
said Paul. "From all I hear, there will be troops there, covering
Brussels."

"Covering Brussels? But it's nowhere near the city!" exclaimed Arthur
in great amazement.

"That doesn't matter, Arthur. Brussels will be defended at long range
or not at all. If the Germans get past Tirlemont and Haelen they will
get to Brussels, I think, without any more opposition."

"But why? There are no fortifications there."

"I believe there are--by this time," said Paul. "Earthworks, at least.
You see, it would simply mean terrible destruction and suffering if a
city like Brussels were defended. It has no forts, and it would be a
simple matter for the Germans to stand off and bombard it. It is like
that with Louvain. It would be better to let the Germans capture that
town without resistance than to force them to bombard it and destroy
the famous old buildings there. If a great city cannot be defended by
an army fifty miles away, it is better not to defend it at all."

The idea of such a tame yielding of Brussels, where he had been born
and had lived most of his life, seemed to depress Arthur greatly. For
a long time they went along in silence. Then a peasant came along with
a cart and offered them a ride. This man seemed to know little or
nothing of the war, although, like them, he must have been able to hear
the sullen growling of t