As we approached Roulers, we found the town alive with people who had
assembled to welcome that which they regarded as an army of deliverance
from the dreaded Germans.
After billeting the officers with considerable difficulty--for naturally
people at times resented the intrusion of hungry and travel-stained men
into their spic and span houses--I secured a most comfortable room for
myself in the house of an old widow lady; one of those charming old
world persons who are occasionally met with on life's journey, and who,
by their innate courtesy and sympathy, accentuate the oneness of the
human family. When a country is under martial law one cannot, of course,
take 'no' for an answer in applying for a billet, and therefore, in the
case of Belgium, one made the demand with the authority of 'in the
king's name,' which invariably brought about the desired result. My dear
old hostess could not do enough for me; with quavering accents she
remarked, 'Thank God you English have come, for now we feel safe.' I
must confess I felt very much of a hypocrite, for I knew that the enemy
was pursuing us in hot haste.
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