wounded.

I hastily detached two troopers to man the listening-posts, and they
slipped away silently. Then, as our Captain had unfortunately been
summoned to Elverdinghe that day on special duty, I went to look for
the Major to make my report to him. My men had seated themselves on
the rough ledges cut in the slope of the trench, their carbines
between their knees, and were talking together in low tones. As I
passed a friendly smile lit up their faces. I walked slowly along the
narrow trench, careful not to tread on the feet of the talkers.

As I approached a point where the trench, following the direction of
the wood, formed an abrupt angle, I heard two familiar voices
exchanging the following words:

"Fifty-two!... Tierce major...; three aces!"
"Capital!"

This was really the limit! I turned the corner and came upon Major B.
and F. seated on the ledge, quietly playing cards by the brilliant
moonlight. As their tiny retreat could not accommodate four players,
they were solacing themselves with a game of piquet.

Oh, all you who are of necessity far from the scene of conflict, good
Frenchmen and valiant Frenchwomen, how I should have liked you to see
this picture! No doubt you often wonder whether those who are
defending your homes against the accursed invader will be able to bear
the sufferings of this war to the bitter end; you fear that they may
be losing their good humour and their dashing spirits; you imagine
them brooding with careworn faces and anxious souls when, the
excitement of the encounter dying down, they think of what the morrow
may bring forth. How I wish you could have seen Major B. and the
gallant Lieutenant F. playing piquet in the trench where they had just
repulsed a furious German attack, which might have been renewed at any
moment!

I left them to go on with their game, and went in search of my comrade
O. I found him in the middle of his troop, talking amicably with his
men. After the enemy had ceased firing he had sent a party of sappers
to dig the graves of the two non-commissioned officers who had fallen
in the wood. We retired into a corner of the trench, and there he told
me of the grief he felt at this loss, a grief he was doing his best to
hide, so as not to injure the _moral_ of his troop. Lagaraldi had
just got his promotion, and was a soldier of the highest promise;
Durand was the model corporal, clean, cheerful, and active. And, even
if they had been but med