148 A GARDEN DIARY 



pleasant little surprises for those who expected 

 to find them vacant. He might do many 

 things, only and this is the point I am trying 

 to arrive at would he venture to do any of 

 them ? If such a man as I am representing 

 myself to be were liable to be treated as 

 the Germans in 1870 treated French fighting 

 civilians, including women, and as the French 

 would no doubt have treated German ones, in 

 such a case it is hard to see how any responsible 

 commander dare run such a risk, however great 

 his need, or our willingness to serve. Risks 

 are of course of the essence of war, but there 

 are risks and risks. No one proposes to hunt 

 with the hounds, and then run with the hares ; 

 to fight while fighting is reasonably safe, and 

 afterwards slip hurriedly back into mufti ; to 

 play a soldier's part, yet claim the immunities 

 of civilians. Let the risks be no worse than 

 those which any soldier runs, and our faithful 

 civilian is satisfied, and asks no more. There 

 are, however, risks which it is hardly proper, 

 hardly I may say decent, for any self-respecting 

 man to run. That our typical civilian would be 

 really liable in these days to be shot in cold 

 blood, most people would find a difficulty in 

 conceiving, yet how does he stand officially ? 

 above all, how does he stand internationally ? 

 Have the risks of so monstrous, so utterly 

 abhorrent a contingency, been once and for ever 



