When will that be, do you suppose?"

"Oh, there's no telling. It depends on the way the campaign runs. Now,
for a time, it's all a question of how General Pushkin's plans work out.
And he has two plans. Russia has declared war, and that means that
Austria can't concentrate a great force against us. But the question is
whether she will try to crush us before she turns against Russia, or
whether she will just hold both Russia and Servia safe. If she throws a
great army against us, General Pushkin won't risk a decisive battle.
He'll go back into the hills and worry them until they have to detach
troops for the other front. If the Russians begin coming down through
the passes of the Carpathians into Hungary, you'll see the Austrians
sending troops back to meet them in a hurry. It wouldn't make so much
difference, from a military point of view, even if the Russians got to
Buda-Pesth. But it would pretty nearly cause a revolution in Hungary,
and a separate peace."

So when they had finished their meal, they went down toward the river.
The desultory, useless bombardment was still going on, but it was not
doing great damage, though it seemed to Dick that it was. A great many
important buildings had been struck, and were in ruins, and in the lower
quarters of the city there were plenty of evidences of war. But Steve
pointed out that none of this could have any effect upon Servia's
ability to hold out.

"It is all provided for in the plans of the general staff," he said. "As
long as our field army is in good shape, they can hammer away at
Belgrade as much as they like."

Some important work was still being done. Money and papers of value were
being removed from the quarters where there was danger from the Austrian
cannon, and scouts, who seemed to be numerous, were guarding the
transfers. Others, whom Dick and Steve joined, were going through the
unaffected parts of the city to find houses that had room for the poor
people who had been driven from their homes by the enemy's fire. One
spirit seemed to move all classes; there was a universal readiness to
make sacrifices of any sort for the common good.

"We have room for one family of five," would be the greeting, as they
knocked at a door, as soon as the inmates of the house saw Stepan's
uniform, which Dick saw him wear for the first time that day.

So it went everywhere. Dick went to see the American consul, and told
his story, and the official assured him that he would fin