Part 2 (1/2)

It was nothing less than miraculous to survey those long lines of wardrobes that seemed to hold together by the grace of the Almighty alone; gaze upon whole rows of tables no one of which had the requisite number of legs; behold mere skeletons of chairs, whose seats or backs were missing; sofas where gaping wounds displayed the springs; huge piles of plates each one more nicked or cracked than its predecessor; series of flower pots which fell to pieces in one's hands if one were indiscreet enough to touch them.

”I don't see the point in straightening things out so often”--was my casual comment.

”Why, Madame, what on earth would we do about the inventory when peace comes, if we were not to put a little order into our stock?” was the immediate reply.

I was sorry I had spoken.

Among the other numerous places of interest was the store of a dealer in haberdashery and draperies. An honest, well equipped old fas.h.i.+oned French concern, whose long oak counters were well polished from constant use. The shelves were piled high with piece after piece of wonderful material, but not a single one of them had been exempt from the murderous rain of steel; they were pierced, and pierced, and pierced again.

”So pierced that there is not a length sufficient to make even a cap!”

explained Madame L., ”but you just can't live in disorder all the time, and customers wouldn't like to see an empty store. Everything we have to sell is in the cellar!”

And true enough this subterranean existence had long ceased to be a novelty, and had become almost a habit.

From the bas.e.m.e.nt windows of every inhabited dwelling protruded a stove pipe, and the lower regions had gradually come to be furnished almost as comfortably as the upper rooms in normal days. Little by little the kitchen chair and the candle had given way to a sofa and a hanging lamp; beds were set up and rugs put in convenient places.

”We live so close to the trenches that by comparison it seems like a real paradise to us,” gently explained Madame Daumont, the pork butcher. Her _charcuterie_ renowned far and wide for its hot meat pates, ready just at noon, had been under constant fire ever since the invasion, but had never yet failed to produce its customary ovenful at the appointed hour.

”At the time of the battle of Crouy,” she confessed, ”I was just on the point of shutting up shop and leaving. I'm afraid I was a bit hasty, but three sh.e.l.ls had hit the house in less than two hours, and my old mother was getting nervous. The dough for my pates was all ready, but I hesitated. Noon came, and with it my clientele of Officers.

”'_Eh bien, nos pates_? What does this mean!'

”'No, gentlemen, I'm sorry, but I cannot make up my mind to bear it another day. I'm leaving in a few moments.'

”'What? Leaving? And we who are going out to meet death have got to face it on empty stomachs?'

”They were right. In a second I thought of my own husband out there in Lorraine. So I said to them 'Come back at four o'clock and they'll be ready.'”

And then gently, and as though to excuse herself, she added--

”There are moments though when fear makes you lose your head, but there doesn't seem to be anything you can't get used to.”

”You soon get used to it” was the identical expression of a young farmer's aid who sold fruit, vegetables and flowers beneath an archway that had once been the entrance to the Hotel de la Clef. She had attracted my attention almost immediately, the brilliant colours of her display, and her pink and white complexion, standing out so fresh and clear against the background of powder-stained stones and chalky ruin heaps.

The next day, after an extra heavy nocturnal bombardment, we went out in search of a melon. A sh.e.l.l had shattered her impromptu showcase, dislocated a wall on one side of the archway, which menaced immediate collapse. In fact, the place had become untenable.

”Oh, it's such a nuisance to have to look for another sure spot,” was the only lament. ”Just see, there's a whole basket of artichokes gone to waste--and my roses--what a pity!”

An explosion had gutted the adjacent building leaving an immense breach opening on to the street from what had once been an office or perhaps a store-room.

”Just wait a moment,” she pleaded, ”until I get set up inside there.

You can't half see what I've got out here.”

Five minutes later I returned and explained the object of my quest.

”We've only got a very few, Madame, our garden is right in their range, and we had a whole melon patch destroyed by splinters, only day before yesterday. I had three this morning, but I sold them all to the gentleman of the artillery, and I've promised to-morrow's to the Brigade Officers. I hardly think I shall be able to dispose of any more before the end of the week. But why don't you go and see 'Pere Francois'? He might have some.”

”You mean old Pere Francois who keeps the public gardens?”

”Yes, Madame.”