But she herself had little difficulty. She put her hand luggage--she
had no other--into a first-class compartment, and having an hour and
a half to wait walked out to look at Ostende.
Summer tourists were still there; the Casino was full of people, the
shops were doing an active trade; the restaurants were crowded with
English, Americans, Belgians taking tea, chocolate, or liqueurs at
little tables and creating a babel of talk. Newspapers were being
sold everywhere by ragamuffin boys who shouted their head-lines in
French, Flemish, and quite understandable English. A fort or two at
Liege had fallen, but it was of no consequence. General Leman could
hold out indefinitely, and the mere fact that German soldiers had
entered the town of Liege counted for nothing. Belgium had virtually
won the war by holding up the immense German army. France was
overrunning Alsace, Russia was invading East Prussia and also
sending uncountable thousands of soldiers, via Archangel, to
England, whence they were being despatched to Calais for the relief
of Belgium.
"It looks," thought Vivie, after glancing at the _Independance
Belge_, "As though Belgium were going to be extremely interesting
during the next few weeks; I may be privileged to witness--from a
safe distance--another Waterloo."
Then she returned to the train which in her absence had been so
crowded with soldiers and civilian passengers that she had great
difficulty in finding her place and seating herself.
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