For ourselves, we are inclined to believe that our military
interests will not suffer if we allow the Germans to break their heads on our lines of defence. There seems a good deal of probability that this is what they are now preparing to do. By the very nature of things they cannot be content with the present situation. The longer they stand purely on the defensive, the more certain it is that they will be beaten in the end. To put it in another way, the more the situation tends to make them a besieged country, the leas hopeful is their case. Therefore we should expect that in the come of the next few weeks they will make an effort on the very greatest scale to break through the line between the coast and the point where the Allies' lines have always pivoted—namely, Verdun. The exact point which they will consider to be the weakest part of the line cannot be indicated with any certainty, but our "fancy" is for the section between Ypres and Nieuport. In any case, and wherever the push comes, say, in the middle of April, we shall hare plenty of mesa ready for our share of the fighting line. Very large sections of the New Army will by that time be ready—indeed, they are ready now—for the call. If the Germans make a great but unsuccessful attack on our lines, the problem bow to drive them out of Belgium will have become much easier of solution.
