. A village in Picardy . one pattern, but of different colours, the chil-dren in smart blue hooded capes. No onelooked self-conscious, or thanked us. The dis-tribution, like the snow, had fallen on the justand on the unjust; it was a providence forwhich one thanked God. CHAPTER IX EN PERMISSION AT noon time, on dispensary days, I some-times lunched with the doctors in kitchen. It was a heterogeneousspot, with two beds (one being stored for aniece), two cats, and a few neighbours alwayssitting near the fire. Usually the neighbourswere waiting for la factrice. A tap at thewindow, an
. A village in Picardy . one pattern, but of different colours, the chil-dren in smart blue hooded capes. No onelooked self-conscious, or thanked us. The dis-tribution, like the snow, had fallen on the justand on the unjust; it was a providence forwhich one thanked God. CHAPTER IX EN PERMISSION AT noon time, on dispensary days, I some-times lunched with the doctors in kitchen. It was a heterogeneousspot, with two beds (one being stored for aniece), two cats, and a few neighbours alwayssitting near the fire. Usually the neighbourswere waiting for la factrice. A tap at thewindow, and Madame ran to open it, and re-ceived a handful of letters which the postmis-tress brought each day by bicycle from it cold, she herself, a capable, pleasant-faced woman, came in to join the group for amoment, threw back her long cape, andwarmed her numb hands. Meantime specta-cles were brought out and the envelopesscanned. It was not alone of the return of therefugees that the village lived in hope. They 113. [A cut of a sword-scabbard.] 114 En Pemrssion 115 might come unannounced, but the soldiers, enpermission,—that was different. Any day Al-bert or Henri might write that he was cominghome! And when they came! It was in evres kitchen again that I had the pleasureof seeing the greeting given to a soldier infaded blue. A bronzed and bearded man hewas, the father of a family. But the familyalas! the wife and the children, were avec lesBodies. M. Huillard seemed to have returnedtherefore, unheralded. As he opened the door,the neighbours rose with exclamations; the mengrasping his hands, the women presenting onecheek and then the other for a kiss. Ques-tions followed: Where had he been stationed?At Verdun, and, more lately, at St. St. Quentin? Have you seen Narcisse,then? Mme. Carpentier inquired , your husband was well. I have a M. Huillard fumbled in his pockets andbrought out a thumbed envelope with the n6 A Village in Pic
Size: 1325px × 1887px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectworldwar19141918
