The Red Cross Barge

urtyard, shaded by high horse chestnut trees, was now crowded with good-humoured German cavalry-men waiting, patiently eno

respectfully made way for him, and he stood, for a few moments unnoticed, on the threshol

dred men. There were huge copper cauldrons on the steel top of the fourneau, and Madame Blanc herself constantly stirred and inspected their

as somewhat halting, he put the question he had come to ask, and on the answer to which, as he well knew, depended a good de

But after a moment's pause she added: 'The nuns were chased away four years

t on, as if the words were being dragged from her reluctant lip

o her remembered that, when he had first arrived with his patient, she had shown a certain maternal interest in the inmate of the Red Cross motor ambulance which now stood in

ing smile. Her heart was still too full of wrath, of surprise, of

ale which followed the right bank of the river Marne. Without drawing rein they had ridden up the ste

manding officer had actually alluded to the spécialité of the Tournebride-a certain chicken-liver omelette which Parisians motored out to enjoy on all fine Sundays from each May to each October! And then, perhaps because she had tacitly refused to

h of her powerful, secretive French nature. Quite willingly, had she thought it would have served the slightest good purpose, w

ust be so far more serviceable, because blending with nature's colouring, than the bright blue and red uniforms of her own countrymen. But for the wounded youth, who now lay straight and still

he river?' repeated the

hile he listened to Madame Blanc's quick, short utterances, he blamed himself severely for having wasted so much time on the English language. English was now never likely to be of much use to him, save perhaps during the coming Occupation of London. If only he had spent as muc

just had the honour of explaining to M. le Médecin, there is a Red Cross barge on our river.

e curious name, 'is she'-he hesitated for the

sters were chased away by the Government four years

see Doctor Rouannès, for he is very ill-some say he is dying.' As again she saw a look of disappointment overcast his fa

barge of the Red Cross go and see

side of the lock. But wait a minute-I can

urtyard. They made way for her pleasantly enough-some even smiled the foolish, fond smile of the big man-child, for she reminded more than one of these burly giants of his own mother. But Madame Blanc gave no answering smile, as,

e on the motor ambulance,' he muttered. 'You might, in fact, go and ask His Highness if he requires anything further just now. Tell him I ha

tly-to-be-commended quarters, nevertheless, Herr Doktor.

amine and orange-coloured trumpet flowers, and so to the great open space which f

, a stone-rimmed pool at which the timid does somet

mbly over the dear familiar scene, and

y charming cluster of white, grey, and red roof-trees, full of the peaceful stateliness of aspect which is a distinguishi

though the Pavillon du Roi had been destroyed during the Revolution, the avenue of high forest trees which had once bounded the royal demesne still rem

ed over what was in truth a singularly pleasing and soothing scene

e plague. Some melancholy-looking dogs had been shut out of doors: they, and a few

d, all-conquering German army did not war on children and women-not, that is,

e civilised people than the Belgians-or so the cultured Max Keller had persuaded himself to believe. Further, the Germans had no real quarrel with the French, the foolish, impul

lected complacently that very soon some sort of peace would be signed in Paris, after which the French and Germans, friends a

s, by his side. But he knew that his French was too halting to convey these cultured-and-so-humane and German sentiments. He started slightly when Madame Blanc suddenly turned to him with the words,

dame, do I thank you,' she had left his side, and was halfwa

departure, the Herr Doktor stepped forward,

er the most in this amazing-and-ever-victorious campaign. During the last three days he had found the conversation of Prince Egon's brother officers particu

e young officers-and he regretted indeed that it was so-was the Paris which, as every good German knew, so aroused the anger and contempt of God as to cause France to be once more crushed and humiliated to the dust. Of

f peace and solitude, the mildest of the conque

cing branches of green leaves, he uttered an exclamation of relief; for there before him, close to the entrance of the lock, and only to be reached by a narrow stone jetty, lay on the placid, slow-moving waters of the river a broad, white barge

From where he stood the German surgeon could see that she was young, straight, and lithe. The gleams of the sun, which was now resting, like a huge scarlet ball, on the horizon, lit

his Elsa in war-time. Since the Herr Doktor had left Weimar, he had not seen a so awakening-to-

ilious, and he did not wish her to suppose that a cultured German could be lacki

e aware of his presence, he saw a dreadful look of aversion and dread flash into her face and she tur

err Doktor stared at the now empty deck with a f

ad treated him with suave, if distant, courtesy, and who had always deferred, most politely and sensibly, to his professional knowledge. In the same hastily improvised Feld-Lazaret there had also been three English nurses; them he had naturally disliked, the