pectedly.

Marta pressed her fingers to her ears, but not soon enough to keep out
the sound of a thud on the roof of the building across the street from
the chapel.

"I was a coward to do that! I shall see worse things!" she thought, and
went to the major, who had turned to the affairs of the living directly
he saw that neither the corpse of the aviator nor the wreck of the plane
was to strike in the street. "I will look after these children," she
said, "and we will care for as many of the old and sick as we can in our
house."

"The children will find their relatives or guardians in the procession
there," he answered methodically. "If they do not, the government will
look after them. It will not do for you to take them to your house. That
would only complicate the matter of their safety." Here he was
interrupted by a precipitate question from one of his lieutenants, who
had come running up. "No! No matter what the excuse, no one can remain!"
he answered. "The nation is not going to take the risk of letting spies
get information to the enemy for the sake of gratifying individual
interests. Every one must go!" Then he called to an able-bodied citizen
of thirty years or so in the procession: "Here, you, if you're not in
the reserve I have work for you!"

"But I was excused from army service on account of heart trouble!"
explained the able-bodied citizen.

"We all have heart trouble to-day," remarked the major pithily. "Men are
giving up their lives in defence of you and your property. Every man of
your age must do his share when required. Go with this orderly!" was the
final and tart conclusion of the argument. "And see that he is made
useful," he added to the orderly.

An explosion in the factory district made windows rattle and brought an
hysterical outcry from some of the women.

"It's nothing!" the major called, in the assurance of a shepherd to his
sheep. "Blowing up some building that furnish cover for the enemy's
approach in front of our infantry positions! You will hear more of it.
Don't worry! Do as you're told! Keep moving! Keep moving!"

Now he had time to conclude what he had to say to Marta.

"As your house will soon be under fire, it will be not refuge for the
children; and, in any event, we should net want to leave them to the
care of the Grays with the parents on our side," he explained in a
manner none the less final because of its politeness. "Every detail has
been systematically arranged under