thing I have ever met, with few
exceptions. Wherever you are, or go, or have to wait, they come and ask
if they can do anything for you, generally with an engaging smile seize
your hand-baggage, offer you chairs and see you through generally. And
the men and N.C.O.'s are just the same, and always awfully grateful if
you can help them out with the language in any way.

This was a conversation I heard in my ward to-day. Brother of Captain
---- (wounded) visits the amputation man, and, by way of cheering him
up, sits down, gazes at his ugly bandaged stump on a pillow, and says--

"That must be the devil."

"Yes, it is," says the leg man.

"Hell," says the other, and then they both seemed to feel better and
began to talk of something else.

We had a funeral of an Orderly and a German from No.-- Sta. (both
tetanus). On grey transport waggons with big black horses, wreaths from
the Orderlies, carried by a big R.A.M.C. escort (which, of course,
escorted the German too), with Officers and Padre and two Sisters.

_Friday, October 2nd._--They continue to die every day and night at both
Hospitals, though we are taking few new cases in now.

I am frightfully attached to Le Mans as a place. The town is old and
curly, and full of lovely corners and "Places," and views and Avenues
and Gardens. The Cathedral grows more and more upon one; I have several
special spots where you get the most exquisite poems of colour and
stone, where I go and browse; it is very quiet and beautifully kept.

No.-- Sta. is also set in a jewel of a spot. A Jesuits' College, full of
cloisters covered with vines, and lawns with silver statues, shady
avenues and sunny gardens, long corridors and big halls which are the
wards; the cook-house is a camp under a splendid row of big chestnut
trees, and there is of course a chapel.

Our occupation of it is rather incongruous; there is practically no
furniture except the boys' beds, some chairs, many crucifixes and
statues, terribly primitive sanitary arrangements and water supply. We
have to boil our instruments and make their tea in the same one saucepan
in the Officers' Ward; you do without dusters, dishcloths, soap-dishes,
pillow-cases, and many other necessities in peace time.

My little Train-Junior has been taken off that job and is to rejoin her
unit, so I settled down to a prospect of the same fate (No.-- G.H. is at
Havre again! and has still not yet done any work! so you see what I've
been rescue