ondon this morning?"

War! Joan realized on the instant that for the past four days she had
not even looked at a paper. Daddy Brown had mentioned some such
possibility in connection with his Spring tour, and the members of the
company had discussed the prospect with varying shades of excitement on
their way up to London. But for herself, her own interests, her own
griefs had so swamped her that she had not even noticed the greater
tragedy which loomed ahead. Yet what a curious thrill lay in the word;
it could rouse her to sudden interest as nothing else had been able to
do all day; she could feel the nerves in her body tighten, and she sat a
little more erect.

"War, with Germany!" she repeated. "I haven't read the papers, Uncle
John. Has it come as near as that?"

"They have invaded Belgium," he answered, "on their way through into
France. We couldn't stand aside now if we wanted to. To-night, I expect
war will be declared. That was why I asked you if you had seen any signs
of excitement in the streets; the papers say that the crowds have been
clamouring for war for the last three days."

She could not tell him that she had sat in the cab counting the daisies
in Fanny's hat. "What will it mean?" she asked.

"Something bigger than we have ever tackled before," he answered. "It
will mean millions of money and millions of men. I don't see much down
here, grubbing about among my plants and weeds, but I have kept an eye
on Germany." A most unusual excitement was shaking him. "In my young
days it was a myth, 'one day Germany will declare war on us.' It has
come true too late for me. I'd give everything I possess to get back
into the regiment, but they wouldn't have me. This will be a
world-shaking war, and I am too old to take part in it." The excitement
left his voice as they turned in at the gate. "Your aunt is very ill,"
he said. "I meant to have warned you before, but somehow I can't think
of anything but the one thing these days. You must not be shocked at her
appearance."

Miss Abercrombie was waiting to receive them where Aunt Janet had waited
for their other home-coming. "Did you bring any news from London?" she
asked quickly; the same light shone in her eyes as in Uncle John's. "Has
anything been settled yet?"

Joan shook her head. "I have been living this last week with my eyes
shut," she confessed; "till Uncle John told me, I did not even know that
anything was going to happen."

Miss Abercrombie looked