She had her little store of homely philosophies to guide her through life , but she had nothing to buckler her against the thunderbolts of the week that had just passed . What had an honest , hard-working , Presbyterian old maid of Glen St. Mary to do with a war thousands of miles away ? Susan felt that it was indecent that she should have to be disturbed by it . `` The British army will settle Germany , '' shouted Norman . `` Just wait till it gets into line and the Kaiser will find that real war is a different thing from parading round Berlin with your moustaches cocked up . '' `` Britain has n't got an army , '' said Mrs. Norman emphatically . `` You need n't glare at me , Norman . Glaring wo n't make soldiers out of timothy stalks . A hundred thousand men will just be a mouthful for Germany 's millions . '' `` There 'll be some tough chewing in the mouthful , I reckon , '' persisted Norman valiantly . `` Germany 'll break her teeth on it . Do n't you tell me one Britisher is n't a match for ten foreigners . I could polish off a dozen of 'em myself with both hands tied behind my back ! '' `` I am told , '' said Susan , `` that old Mr. Pryor does not believe in this war . I am told that he says England went into it just because she was jealous of Germany and that she did not really care in the least what happened to Belgium . '' `` I believe he 's been talking some such rot , '' said Norman . `` I have n't heard him . When I do , Whiskers-on-the-moon wo n't know what happened to him . That precious relative of mine , Kitty Alec , holds forth to the same effect , I understand . Not before me , though -- somehow , folks do n't indulge in that kind of conversation in my presence .
Lord love you , they 've a kind XXXXX presentiment , so to speak , that it would n't be healthy for their complaint . ''
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