CHAPTER VII
THE FIRE
"That's from a fire, Paul!" said Arthur. "Andit looks--"
"As if it came from Uncle Henri's house? Itcertainly does, Arthur! Oh, but I hope it isn't!That would be dreadful!"
They raced on now, and as they hastened, the skybefore them grew ever brighter. They could nolonger doubt that the glare they saw came from aconflagration, and it grew more and more certainevery minute that it was their own summer homethat was burning. There was no other house inthat direction that would produce such a splendidreflection were it afire.
And soon, too, they came in sight of the house,and all hope that they were mistaken vanished.It was M. de Frenard's house, and a single glanceshowed that there was no hope of saving it.Flames were spurting from every window, andthrough the roof, even as they came into plainsight of the house, there burst a great pillar offire. There seemed to be an explosion of some sort,for a great mass of sparks shot upward towardthe heavens, raining down a moment later. In thelight of the fire they could see the men-servantsand some of the peasant neighbors busily engagedin dragging a few pieces of furniture and somepictures across the lawn--evidently what littlethere had been time to drag from the burninghouse. They could see also a group of women,where Madame de Frenard was calming thewomen-servants and trying to bring order out of chaos.
Dropping their bicycles, they ran quicklytoward her, calling her name. As she heard themshe turned, and they saw that her face was radiant.
"Oh, you are safe, then!" she cried. "Nownothing else matters, since no one is hurt! No onehad seen you two since dinner--I was so frightened!"
"We're all right," said Paul, a little remorseful."There was something we had to do, that Iwill tell you about later. But how did this firestart?"
"No one knows," said Madame de Frenard, hereyes darkening. "All that is certain is that wewere awakened by a cry of fire. There wasscarcely time for all of us to get out, and for themen to save a few of the best pictures. It seemedthat oil must have been spread about, for the fireto burn so quickly! I do not believe it was an accident."
Paul and Arthur looked at one another. Thesame thought had come to both of them. It wasArthur who voiced it.
"The Germans?" he said, doubtfully.
"Just what I was wondering," said Paul. "Butwhy should they?"
"Oh, I thought of them, too!" said their aunt."And I, too, asked why. There is war but, evenso, we have nothing to do with that. There is noreason for them to burn our home!"
"I think a great many things are going tohappen for which it will be hard to find a reason,"said Paul, thoughtfully.
"Well, the first thing to be done is for us to geta roof over our heads for to-night," said Madamede Frenard, with decision. "Your uncle is stillin Brussels, unless he has already rejoined thearmy. I think we had better go into Liege andstay at a hotel."
"We can get into Liege," said Paul, rousinghimself from his mood of reflection, "but I'm notsure about staying there. I think you had bettertake your maid and go to Brussels, Aunt Claire.The rest of the servants ought to go home, I think."
It was curious to see how their positions werereversed in this emergency. It was Paul who wasin command now, not his aunt.
"Do you think so?" she said. "Why, Paul?"
"Because I am afraid that there will be hardfighting around Liege. I do not think the town willbe defended for very long; it cannot be. It issupposed only to check the German advance, to gaina little time, so that the French and the English,if they come to our aid, may have time to masstheir troops to the west and the north. I am sureUncle Henri would say I was right, and I canarrange it for you to be sent to Brussels, I am sure."
Madame de Frenard was a little inclined tosmile, in spite of the fire and all the woe it hadbrought with it.
"Why, Paul, how can you arrange anything?"she asked. "Have you, perhaps, suddenlyacquired influence with the army?"
"He certainly has!" interrupted Arthur, hiseyes shining. "Oh, Aunt Claire, we've done somany wonderful things to-night!"
So he let the cat out of the bag, and, with somuch of a start, Madame de Frenard was notsatisfied until she had the whole story out of them.She caught her breath when she heard of the shotsthat had been fired at them, but she looked veryproud and happy, too.
"Oh, that was splendid!" she cried. "We maybe a little nation, we Belgians, but we can meetthem when even our boys can defy them and outwitthem so magnificently! Now I know that I cantrust you! Paul, it is as if your uncle were here!You shall take his place, and I shall do whateveryou say is right."
Paul grew red, and embarrassment checked hisspeech for a moment.
"It was just luck, of course," he said, confusedly."Anyone could have done what we did, youknow. But I'm glad you'll go on to Brussels,Aunt Claire, and I think Major du Chaillu will beglad to make the arrangements, before the railwayis interrupted. I will go now and get out the carriages."
"Very well, Paul, do so. It is lucky that wehave those left, at any rate."
Paul and Arthur helped the men to get out thecarriages and harness the horses, frightened bythe noise and confusion of the fire. And Paul andArthur, too, rode in the carriage that took theiraunt and her maid into Liege.
"I didn't think we would be coming back toLiege quite so soon," said Arthur, a little ruefully."This isn't as exciting as the first trip we madeto-night, either."
"No, but I think it's safer," said Paul, ratherdryly. "And there'll be more than enough excitementto make up for it when the Germans come, Arthur."
"Oh, I suppose so!"
"I am going to take you two boys to Brusselswith me," said Madame de Frenard, suddenly.
Paul was quiet at that; it was Arthur who criedout in vigorous protest.
"Oh, no, Aunt Claire!" he exclaimed. "There'sso much for us to do here!"
"There will be plenty for you to do in Brussels,"she said, with decision. "It's settled. Ican't allow you to stay here if it isn't safe for me."
Arthur looked to Paul for help, but Paul onlysmiled. His aunt looked at him curiously.
"So you are willing to go without arguing,Paul?" she asked.
"You said it was settled, Aunt Claire," hereplied. "If a thing is settled, there is no use inarguing about it, is there?"
She smiled faintly. She knew Paul well enoughto know that when his mind was made up he neverwas willing to admit that a thing was settled untilit was settled as he wished. She wondered whathe had up his sleeve, for she was sure that he wasquite as anxious as Arthur to stay in or around Liege.
As a matter of fact, Paul was the only one ofthem all who had even a remote idea of what wascoming. He could not foresee all the horrors ofinvasion and battle. No one can do that, or warswould never be begun. But he did realize thatdire trouble was in store, and that a good manycivilians, and especially women and youngchildren, would be sent away from Liege before therewas any fighting, if that were possible. There wassomething else that Paul grasped better thaneither Arthur and his aunt, and that was theprobable course of the invasion.
He knew that in a few days Liege, strongfortress though it was, would be engulfed. It mighthold out for a long time; he thought it probablywould. But the Germans would be all about it.The Uhlans would sweep along, far beyond therange of the guns of the forts, cutting communications,interrupting railways, blocking the roads,and Liege must depend upon itself for food, forammunition, for all the things that would beneeded. For that reason, he thought, GeneralLeman would encourage all who could to get outof the city before the actual siege began. And hehad an idea that there was no real question of hisgoing, or Arthur; that they would have to waittheir turn, at least. That was why he submittedso quietly to his aunt's declaration that he andArthur were to go with her.
When they arrived in Liege he found that, lateas it was, the city was still awake and stirring.Outside of the railway station there was a greatcrowd. There were women there with childrenclinging to their skirts. They carried od
d-shapedbundles. Plainly this was a sudden flight for mostof them, and they had snatched up their greatesttreasures, and wrapped them as best they could.'
"Why, it looks like a regular panic!" saidMadame de Frenard. "I don't see what there isto be afraid of yet, at any rate. I don't see how weare going to get away, either, Paul."
"I'll try to find Major du Chaillu," said Paul."Arthur, will you stay here while I go?"
He went off when Arthur nodded, and threadedhis way through the confusion and the crowds toGeneral Leman's headquarters. There, after agood deal of difficulty, and after he had beenturned away several times by impatient sentries,he succeeded in finding his friend the major. Tohim he explained the situation.
"Your aunt and her maid?" said du Chaillu."Yes, I shall be able to manage that."
"My cousin and I cannot go, I suppose?"
"Not to-night, I'm afraid, my boy. The ordersare very strict." He looked a little puzzled, butwent on: "I'd like to make an exception in yourcase, for you have done so much for Belgium--"
"Oh, I don't want to go and neither doesArthur!" cried Paul, with a laugh. "It's just asI thought. Only my aunt wants us to go, and Iwas afraid that perhaps we could."
The major laughed, too.
"That's more like what I had expected fromyou," he said. "Yet it would be better if you didgo. However, women and children first. We'vemade the rule, and we must make no exceptions,or it would be impossible to enforce it at all."
"Oh, we'll get along all right," said Paul."And--well, I have an idea that may not be ofany use, so that I'd better not say anything aboutit yet. But I hope that Paul and I can still dosomething for Belgium and Liege."
"I've no doubt that you will try to do that,"said du Chaillu. "Come, show me where you leftyour aunt, and I will see that she is allowed to goout on the next train. I will take her into thestation by a private entrance for there is little chanceof getting through the crowd in any other way."
He was as good as his word. Madame de Frenardlistened to his explanation of how impossibleit was for Paul and Arthur to be allowed to goon the train, and glanced at Paul. She thoughtthat she understood his submissiveness better now!
"But--women and children?" she said."Surely these boys?"
"We are not children!" protested Paul andArthur in one breath.
Major du Chaillu smiled rather sadly.
"No, they are not children in such times asthese, Madame," he said. "We have not quitecome to the point of calling upon boys to fight,but we cannot treat them as children. Still, Ishall see that they are looked to, as well as I can,be assured of that, Madame de Frenard."
And with that assurance she had to be content.