and, came dry-eyed to show
young France what their fathers had died in capturing for the glory of
_La Patrie_.

"Dost thou know, Maman," I heard one mite saying, "I would like well to
mount astride that cannon there," indicating a huge 7.4, but the woman
only smiled the saddest smile I have ever seen, and drew him over to
gaze at the silvery remains of the Zeppelin that had been brought down
on the Marne.

The rooms leading off the corridors above were all filled with souvenirs
and helmets, and in another, the captured flags of some of the most
famous Prussian Regiments were spread out in all their glory of gold and
silver embroideries and tassels.

We went on to see Napoleon's tomb, which made an impression on me which
I shall never forget. The sun was just in the right quarter. As we
entered the building, the ante-room seemed purposely darkened to form
the most complete contrast with the inner; where the sun, streaming
through the wonderful glass windows, shone with a steady shaft of blue
light, almost ethereal in colouring, down into the tomb where the great
Emperor slept.

CHAPTER X

CONCERNING A CONCERT, CANTEEN WORK, HOUSEKEEPING, THE ENGLISH CONVOY,
AND GOOD-BYE LAMARCK

When I returned to the hospital the "English Invasion" of the town was
an accomplished fact, and the Casino had been taken over as a hospital
for our men. In the rush after Festubert, we were very proud to be
called upon to assist for the time-being in transporting wounded, as the
British Red Cross ambulances had more than they could cope with. This
was the first official driving we did and was to lead to greater things.

The heat that summer was terrific, so five of us clubbed together and
rented a Chalet on the beach, which was christened _The Filbert_. We
bathed in our off time (when the jelly fish permitted, for, whenever it
got extra warm, a whole plague of them infested the sea, and hot vinegar
was the only cure for their stinging bites; of course we only found this
out well on into the jelly-fish season!). We gave tea parties and supper
parties there, weather and work permitting, and it proved the greatest
boon to us after long hours in hospital.

As we were never free to use it in the morning we lent it to some
friends, and one day a fearful catastrophe happened. Fresh water was as
hard to get as in a desert, and the only way to procure any was to bribe
French urchins to carry it in large tin jugs from a spring near the