.
Every one, from the Colonel down, was privately relieved by this order,
for every one felt that, if they had stayed there, by the end of the
next day there would have been no regiment left.

The behaviour of the men had been superb. They had entered into this new
phase of the war with that strange combination of recklessness and
reliability which had made our "contemptible little army" what it was.
Not a complaint had been uttered. They had joked all day--and there is
an especial relish to jokes that are made between the thunderclaps--but
they were worn out, not only by the terrors of that day, but by the
accumulated loss of sleep and lack of food.

A further advance was impossible. The Germans had checked the onrush by
the weight of their artillery. The victory of the Marne was over. The
phase of the deadlock had begun.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE CELLARS OF POUSSEY

The Subaltern was too dazed to realise the significance of the day's
fighting, but he brought his men back to the village without mishap, and
behind the shelter of its walls they lay down to sleep just as they
were.

In a little time the whole Battalion was rallied in the village, and
fresh reinforcements were sent forward to hold a line nearer the
village.

The night that followed was cold and windy. In spite of a fire that his
men lit in a little side street, and various sacks that they "lifted"
from barns, the cold caused extreme discomfort, and it was with a great
sigh of relief that at length dawn broke upon them.

The Subaltern stumbled to his feet before it was fully light, shook the
miserable sacks from his feet, and set out to explore the village.

Like most of its kind, it had only one central street, which was steep
and winding. Underfoot were the usual cobbles, and the walls had a queer
look of leaning inwards over the road with a protective air. He had not
gone many yards before he came upon the little village square. Half of
it was shut in by a huge, castle-like structure, which with its carved
stone fountain gave the place almost a medieval air.

The gate in the wall was unlocked, and through the aperture he caught a
glimpse of a trim garden and a comfortable-looking house.

"This," said the Subaltern to himself, "is just the sort of place that
the Captain would choose for his headquarters."

He slipped into the garden and peeped through one of the windows. Sure
enough, there were the Captain, the Senior Subaltern and the Doc