“One of the soldiers behind me gave a terrible
laugh and said: ’There will be some widows
there!’
“Perhaps he was married. A third added:
‘It did not take long!’
“A head emerged from the litter.
“‘What is the matter?’ she asked;
‘are you fighting?’
“‘It is nothing, mademoiselle,’
I replied; ’we have got rid of a dozen Prussians!’
“‘Poor fellows!’ she said.
But as she was cold, she quickly disappeared beneath
the cloaks again, and we started off once more.
We marched on for a long time, and at last the sky
began to grow lighter. The snow became quite
clear, luminous and glistening, and a rosy tint appeared
in the east. Suddenly a voice in the distance
cried:
“‘Who goes there?’
“The whole detachment halted, and I advanced
to give the countersign. We had reached the French
lines, and, as my men defiled before the outpost,
a commandant on horseback, whom I had informed of what
had taken place, asked in a sonorous voice, as he
saw the litter pass him: ’What have you
in there?’
“And immediately a small head covered with light
hair appeared, dishevelled and smiling, and replied:
“‘It is I, monsieur.’
“At this the men raised a hearty laugh, and
we felt quite light-hearted, while Pratique, who was
walking by the side of the litter, waved his kepi
and shouted:
“‘Vive la France!’ And I felt really
affected. I do not know why, except that I thought
it a pretty and gallant thing to say.
“It seemed to me as if we had just saved the
whole of France and had done something that other
men could not have done, something simple and really
patriotic. I shall never forget that little face,
you may be sure; and if I had to give my opinion about
abolishing drums, trumpets and bugles, I should propose
to replace them in every regiment by a pretty girl,
and that would be even better than playing the ’Marseillaise:
By Jove! it would put some spirit into a trooper to
have a Madonna like that, a live Madonna, by the colonel’s
side.”
He was silent for a few moments and then continued,
with an air of conviction, and nodding his head:
“All the same, we are very fond of women, we
Frenchmen!”
Fifteen years had passed since I was at Virelogne.
I returned there in the autumn to shoot with my friend
Serval, who had at last rebuilt his chateau, which
the Prussians had destroyed.
I loved that district. It is one of those delightful
spots which have a sensuous charm for the eyes.
You love it with a physical love. We, whom the
country enchants, keep tender memories of certain springs,
certain woods, certain pools, certain hills seen very
often which have stirred us like joyful events.
Sometimes our thoughts turn back to a corner in a
forest, or the end of a bank, or an orchard filled
with flowers, seen but a single time on some bright
day, yet remaining in our hearts like the image of
certain women met in the street on a spring morning
in their light, gauzy dresses, leaving in soul and
body an unsatisfied desire which is not to be forgotten,
a feeling that you have just passed by happiness.
