Monsieur Segotin's Story
"Yes, my dear Monsieur, that was Germany's attitude to the Belgians from the first. You have seen von Emmich's proclamation to the country, the proclamation which the German Army carried with it across the Belgian frontier on the 4th of August. 'To my very great regret—under the constraint of unavoidable necessity—Germany is compelled to invade Belgium. It is my greatest wish that a conflict between the two nations, once allies, may be avoided. Remember the glorious days of Waterloo. A free passage to attack France is all we desire. I give a formal pledge to the Belgian population that it will have nothing to suffer from the horrors of war. Et patiti et patita. But we must have free passage. It is for you to choose.'
"Well, we chose. It is our glory; but it has been our ruin, though I would not have it otherwise. We chose, and thereupon the glorious days of Waterloo faded into the background to be replaced by the glorious days of Louvain and Liége and Andenne.
"That is ever the German way: first the smiling face or, if that fails, the fist straight between the eyes. After that, anything you please. No, those people do not go in for half measures. You must be their ally or their slave and, if you are their ally, they must still be the masters, absolute and unquestioned.
"And so we were apprehensive and went about with an extreme delicacy. You have heard of Andenne? We heard of it before you did, I expect.
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