long stretch of England, past wide and windy fields where
the harvesters were cutting the corn, through the dark towns of the
Potteries, by the collieries where the wheels still revolved as the
cages were lowered and raised, and then, plunging into the outer areas
of London, they drove swiftly up to the station. In the evening, they
went to Hampstead to see Roger and Rachel, and found them reading
newspapers.

"I don't seem able to do anything else," said Roger. "I buy every
edition that comes out. I read the damn things over and over, and then I
read them again...."

Rachel nodded her head. "So do I," she said.

A girl came in, a friend of Rachel, who had been in Finland when the war
began. She had hurried home by Berlin, where she had spent an hour or
two, while waiting for a train, before England declared war on
Germany....

"What were they like?" Gilbert asked.

"Wild with excitement. We went to a restaurant to get something to eat,
and while we were there, the news came that Russia was at war with
them.... My goodness! There was a Russian in the room, and they went for
him!... I had my aunt with me, and I was afraid she'd get hurt, so we
cleared out as quickly as we could, and when we got to the station, we
had to fight to get into the train. My aunt fainted ... and they were
beastly to us, oh, beastly! I tried to get things for her, but they
wouldn't give us anything! They kept on telling us we'd be shot, and
threatening us!... They were frightened, those big fat men were
frightened. If you'd touched them suddenly, they'd have squealed ...
like panic-stricken rabbits!..."

They sat and talked and talked, and gloom settled on them. What was to
be the end of this horrible thing which no one had desired, but no one
was able to prevent.

"I believe they all lost their nerve at the last," Roger said, "and they
just ... just let things rip. They call it a brain-storm in America.
They lost their heads ... and they let things rip. My God, what a thing
to have happened!"

They sat in silence, full of foreboding, and then the girl who had come
from Finland went home.

"It's all up with the Bar, I suppose!" said Roger, when he had let her
out. "Whatever else people want to do, they won't want to go to law.
Having a youngster makes things awkward!..."

"If you should need any money, Roger," said Gilbert, "you might let me
know!"

"And me, Roger!" said Henry.

"Thanks awfully!" Roger replied. "I won't forget.