t your advice about, a novel?--or a study upon
Altruism, or--or--something like that?"

She chuckled and handed me my tea, thin tea and a tiny slice of black
bread, and a scrape of butter. There is no cheating of the regulations
here, but the Sevres cup gave me satisfaction.

"You have brought me your bread coupon, I hope?" she interrupted
with,--"if you eat without it one of my household has less!"

I produced it.

"Two days old will do here," then she became all interest in my project
again and chuckled anew.

"Not a novel my son, at your age and with your temperament, it would
arouse emotions in you if you created them in your characters, you are
better without them.--No!--Something serious; Altruism as well as
another, by all means!"

"I expected you to say that, you are always so practical and kind, then
we will choose a research subject to keep me busy."

"Why not the history of Blankshire, your old county where the Thormondes
have sat since the conquest--_hein_?"

This delighted me, but I saw the impossibility. "I cannot get at the
necessary reference books, and it is impossible to receive anything from
England."

She realized this before I spoke.

"No--philosophy it must be--or your pet hobby, the furniture of your
William and Mary!"

This seemed the best of all, and I decided in a moment. This shall be my
subject. I really know something of William and Mary furniture! So we
settled it. Then she became reflective.

"The news is _tres grave_ to-day, my son," she whispered softly, "the
fearful ones predict that the Boche will be within range in a few
days.--Why not leave Paris?"

"Are you going, Duchesse?"

"I,--_Mon Dieu!_--Of course not!--I must stay to get my _Blesses_
out--if the worst should come--but I never believe it.--Let the cowards
flee--. Some of my relatives have gone again. Those I speak to will have
become a minority when peace arrives, it would seem!"--then she frowned
angrily. "Many are so splendid--devoted, untiring, but there are
some--!--_Mon Dieu!_ the girls play tennis at the _tix aux
pigeons_!--and the Germans are sixty-five kilometers from Paris!"

I did not speak, and then, as though I had said something disparaging
and she must defend them--"But you must not judge them hardly--No!--it
is not possible with our National temperament that young girls of the
world can nurse men--No--No--and our ministry of War won't employ
women--what can they do--ask yourself, what can the