Part 14 (1/2)

We cannot say that the Guynemer who flew in Flanders was not the same Guynemer who had flown over the Somme, Lorraine or Aisne battle-fields

Indeed, hiswith each fresh encounter, and with his daring he cared little whether the ene unsuspected tactics His victories of August 17 and 20 showed him at his boldest best Yet his comrades noticed that his nerves see oftener and longer than the others in quest of his game, but fretted if his Boche did not appear precisely when he wanted him When an enemy did not turn up where he was expected, he made up his mind to seek him where he hi farther and farther away into dangerous zones Was he tired of holding the door tight against destiny, or feeling sure that destiny could not look in? Did it not occur to him that his hour, whether near or not, was ht not only presented itself to hi,” writes his school-fellow of Stanislas days, Lieutenant Constantin, ”I had been struck by his melancholy expression, and yet he had just been victorious for the forty-seventh time 'I have been too lucky,' he said to me, 'and I feel as if I must pay for it' 'Nonsense,' I replied, 'I a will happen to you' He smiled as if he did not believe me, but I knew that he was haunted by the idea, and avoided everything that y or disturb his sang-froid, which he intended to devote entirely to Boche hunting”[27]

[Footnote 27: Unpublished notes by J Constantin]

When had he ceased to think himself invincible? The reader no doubt remembers how he recovered froht have left,himself to the eneht tiht down, and each ti On many occasions he had come back to camp with bullets in his machine, or in his coination, daht himself invincible? He believed in his star, no doubt, but he kneas only a lory, the nearest to him since the loss of Dorme, the one as the Oliver to this Roland, once received this confidence from Guynemer: ”One of the fellows toldbefore hi; but I told hin to the fellows standing around 'Yes, I have seen it,' he answered; 'the handshake of the airman It means _au revoir_' But ,” Guynehed, for the boy in him was never far from the man

Towards the end of July, while he was in Paris seeing to the repairs for his one to Co his technical ability and his interest in alla nervousness in his manner, dared for the first time to hint ti useful in some other field

”Couldn't you be of service with respect to ines, etc?”

But he was e surprise Every time Guynemer had used his father's influence in the arer

”Noas the war lasts,” he said ”I see very hat you are thinking, but you know that self-sacrifice is never wasted Don't let us talk any ust 28, Guyneain for repairs to his airplane, went to Saint-Pierre de Chaillot It was not exceptional for him to visit this old church; he loved to prepare hi priests has written since his death of ”his faith and the transparency of his soul”[28] The Chaillot parishi+oners knew hiht hi the priest in the confessional, he usually enjoyed another little chat in the sacristy, and although he was no hts on such occasions in heartfelt and serious language

[Footnote 28: _La Croix_, October 7, 1917, article by Pierre l'Ermite]

”My fate is sealed,” he once said in his playful, authoritative way; ”I cannot escape it” And re his not very far away Latin, he added: ”_Hodie mihi, cras tibi_”

Early in Septeh his airplane was not yet entirely repaired The day before leaving he was standing at the door of the Hotel Edouard VII when one of his schoole Stanislas, Lieutenant Jacquemin, appeared

”He took me to his room,” this officer relates, ”and we talked for more than an hour about schooldays I asked hie to be so successful” ”None whatever,” he said, ”but you re at Stanislas I shoot straight, and have absolute confidence in my machine” He showed me his nuood fellowshi+p as he was at Stanislas It was evident that his head had not been in the least turned by his success; he only talked hts He told me, too, that in spite of opposition fro-contemplated improvement; and that he had had a special caraph awords were: ”I hope to fly to-morrow, but don't expect to see my naed e words, if indeed Guyne to the, which was to go on flying, even if he should fly for nothing

Before reporting at Dunkirk, Guynene Never was he ht than during those three days But he seeitated

”Let us make plans,” he said repeatedly, in spite of his old aversion to castle-building His plans that day were for the aer, Yvonne, that he had quarreled once with her It was at Biarritz, when he wanted her to ht not be rejected by the recruiting board again; his sister did not like to promise, and he had threatened to sulk forever, which he had proceeded to do--for five ht hi than ever, but his father felt that he was overstrained, and realized that his aler wait for his chance but wanted to force a victory, was the result of fatigue M

Guyne that the period of rest he advised was in the very interest of his son's service ”You need strengthening; you have done too er of falling below yourself, or not really being yourself”

”Father, war is nothing else One must pull on, even if the rope should threaten to snap”

It was the first tied his point

”Why not stop awhile? Your record is pretty good; you o back to your squadron”

”Yes, and people would say that, hoping for no ”

”What does it matter? Let people talk, and when you reappear in better condition they will understand You know I never gave you a word of advice which the whole world could not hear I always helped you, and you always found the most disinterested approval here in your hoth has its lies interposed, ”a liiven nothing as long as we have not given everything”