table, the officers have a sort
of sitting room again, with one bed in it, two on the bed, two on the
mattress, and one on the floor, and I expect we shall be very
comfortable. As we did not seem to have any food for the officers the
farm people asked us if we would like some chickens. And we had soup,
the typical French pot-au-feu, which they keep on the fire and put all
scraps into it and which makes delicious soup, chickens, fruit salad,
and cafe noire, which all French people know how to make. To-morrow we
will spend in making the place like a palace. Don't send me any more
cigarettes. The ones I have just received will come in very handy as I
am short, but in future I can get them out here cheaper.

Much love to all, and especially to you, Mother dear.

From your loving Son,
ALEC.

11TH SUFFOLKS,
B.E.F., January 24th.

My darling Mother,--

To-day we were expecting to get up late, parade this morning 9-30,
but, unfortunately, we were wakened at 7-0 o'clock and told to parade
at 8-0 for inspection by our Corps Commander, and spent the whole
morning standing still while we were inspected. It is extremely tiring
to stand still for half an hour or more, more tiring than marching for
hours. The rest of the day we spent cleaning up everything. Now we are
sleeping in three different rooms. In here two sleep, and we all eat
in another room, six feet by eight feet, three of us have our mattress
on the floor and one more in a small room by himself. Most of the
rooms lead out of the kitchen. In the kitchen most of the servants and
a few other men hob-nob with Madame and her buxom daughter, who are
Belgian refugees, and who are very agreeable and don't seem to mind us
over-running the whole place, and soldiers coming in to their kitchen,
where they live, in all stages of dishabile, to buy huge bowls of
coffee at 1d. each. The General this morning was a cheery untidy old
soul, who reviewed the troops in an old mackintosh and gum boots and a
day's beard, or I should think the result of a bad razor. He addressed
us afterwards in an oration full of split infinitives and mixed
metaphors, welcoming us to France for a few month's holiday.

I perpetrated quite one of my best efforts to-night. I went into a
shop, where