e loot deserted houses, but as a rule
unarmed citizens and peasants have little to complain of."

"That is true enough," the other agreed reluctantly.

"My opinion is," Cuthbert went on, "that all these poor people who are
flocking into Paris are making a hideous mistake. If they stopped in
their villages the betting is that no harm would have come to them;
whereas now they have left their homes unguarded and untenanted--and it
would not be human nature if the Germans did not occupy them--while in
Paris they will have to go through all the privations and hardships of a
siege and perhaps of a bombardment; besides there are so many more
hungry mouths to feed. In my opinion Trochu and the Provisional
Government would have acted very much more wisely had they issued an
order that no strangers, save those whose houses have been destroyed,
should be allowed to enter the city, and advising the inhabitants of all
the villages round either to remain quietly in their homes, or to retire
to places at a distance. Fighting men might, of course, come in, but
all useless mouths will only hasten the date when famine will force the
city to surrender."

"You seem very sure that it will surrender sooner or later, Hartington,"
Dampierre said, irritably. "My opinion is that all France will rise and
come to her rescue."

"If Bazaine cuts his way out of Metz they may do it, but we have heard
nothing of his moving, and the longer he stays the more difficulty he
will have of getting out. He has a fine army with him, but if he once
gives time to the Germans to erect batteries commanding every road out
of the place, he will soon find it well-nigh impossible to make a
sortie. Except that army France has nothing she can really rely upon. It
is all very well to talk of a general rising, but you can't create an
army in the twinkling of an eye; and a host of half-disciplined
peasants, however numerous, would have no chance against an enemy who
have shown themselves capable of defeating the whole of the trained
armies of France. No, no, Dampierre, you must make up your mind
beforehand that you are going in on the losing side. Paris may hold out
long enough to secure reasonable terms, but I fancy that is about all
that will come of it."

The other did not reply. He had something of the unreasoning faith that
pervaded France, that a Republic was invincible, and that France would
finally emerge from the struggle victorious.

"We shall try and find