Bailleul is, like most French provincial towns, arranged like a star,
the Grande Place and Hotel de Ville forming the centre. We found our way
to the cathedral, where a white-haired old _cure_ showed us around,
pointing out the door leading to the great square tower and the axe
marks left by the German soldiers who burst it open. They had used the
tower as an observing post during the week their cavalry had held the
town the preceding October. The old man had been held as hostage by
them, together with the mayor and some other notables, but when asked if
he had been badly treated he was very non-committal. "Qu'est-ce que vous
voulez?" he answered. "C'est, la guerre!" That is the doctrine of
humility taught France in 1870. "C'est la guerre!" It is used to
explain anything from the shooting of civilians to the high cost of
hand-made lace!

In a jeweller's on the Grande Place we obtained a little fuller
information as to the Germans' actions. They had robbed Madame of all
her rings, deliberately broken up all her watch glasses--there was not
one to be obtained in the town--and smashed with their sword hilts the
glass of her show-cases. And across the square they had confiscated all
the champagne in a _cafe_, and when no more was forthcoming they piled
the tables on the _pave_ and burnt them; also she had heard----; but
here F----'s patience had worn out, and as he said "Hearsay evidence is
not admitted," so we said "Bonjour" and returned to billets.

Fortunately we did so, as we found we were slated to take a bathing
parade at 1 o'clock and would barely have time to lunch. However, we
caught the parade in time and marched the men to an old factory labelled
"Divisional Baths." Here each man was supplied with a hot tub, soap and
a clean towel, and was issued on stepping out from his tub with
freshly-washed underwear, turning his soiled clothes in. This was a
splendid system, and when later the clothes were not only washed but
sterilised it ensured the men freedom for a short time at least from
vermin.

It took some time running the whole company through in batches of forty,
so we had a brief look around that part of the town. We also found that
at the asylum officers could get a real bath--full length that one could
stretch out in--at any time, but as it was late when our last man was
ready to march off, we simply returned to billets.

We found the streets full of ambulances, most of them being gas cases
from around Hil