Chateau and Country Life in France | Page 4

the window at once, and the man poured
forth a torrent of German, which W. fortunately understood. While he
was talking W. saw forms, their muskets and helmets showing out quite
distinctly in the half-light, crossing the lawn and coming up some of
the broad paths. It was a disagreeable sight, which he was destined to
see many times.
It was wonderful what exact information the Germans had. They knew
all the roads, all the villages and little hamlets, the big châteaux, and
most of the small mills and farms. There were still traces of the German
occupation when I went to that part of the country; on some of the
walls and houses marks in red paint--"4 Pferde, 12 Männer." They
generally wanted food and lodging, which they usually (not always)
paid for. Wherever they found horses they took them, but M. A. and W.
had sent all theirs away except one saddle-horse, which lived in a stable
in the woods near the house. In Normandy, near Rouen, at my
brother-in-law's place, they had German officers and soldiers quartered
for a long time. They instantly took possession of horses and carriages,
and my sister-in-law, toiling up a steep hill, would be passed by her
own carriage and horses filled with German officers. However, on the
whole, W. said, the Germans, as a victorious invading army, behaved
well, the officers always perfectly polite, and keeping their men in good

order. They had all sorts and kinds at the château. They rarely remained
long--used to appear at the gate in small bands of four or five, with a
sous-officier, who always asked to see either the proprietor or someone
in authority. He said how many men and horses he wanted lodged and
fed, and announced the arrival, a little later, of several officers to dine
and sleep. They were always received by M. A. or W., and the same
conversation took place every time. They were told the servant would
show them their rooms, and their dinner would be served at any hour
they wished. They replied that they would have the honour of waiting
upon the ladies of the family as soon as they had made a little toilette
and removed the dust of the route, and that they would be very happy
to dine with the family at their habitual hour. They were then told that
the ladies didn't receive, and that the family dined alone. They were
always annoyed at that answer. As a rule they behaved well, but
occasionally there would be some rough specimens among the officers.
W. was coming home one day from his usual round just before
nightfall, when he heard loud voices and a great commotion in the
hall--M. A. and one or two German officers. The old man very quiet
and dignified, the Germans most insulting, with threats of taking him
off to prison. W. interfered at once, and learned from the irate officers
what was the cause of the quarrel. They had asked for champagne (with
the usual idea of foreigners that champagne flowed through all French
châteaux), and M. A. had said there was none in the house. They knew
better, as some of their men had seen champagne bottles in the cellar.
W. said there was certainly a mistake--there was none in the house.
They again became most insolent and threatening--said they would take
them both to prison. W. suggested, wouldn't it be better to go down the
cellar with him? Then they could see for themselves there was none.
Accordingly they all adjourned to the cellar and W. saw at once what
had misled them--a quantity of bottles of eau de Seidlitz, rather like
champagne bottles in shape. They pointed triumphantly to these and
asked what he meant by saying there was no champagne, and told their
men to carry off the bottles. W. said again it was not champagne--he
didn't believe they would like it. They were quite sure they had found a
prize, and all took copious draughts of the water--with disastrous
results, as they heard afterward from the servants.

Later, during the armistice and Prussian occupation, there were soldiers
quartered all around the château, and, of course, there were many
distressing scenes. All our little village of Louvry, near our farm, had
taken itself off to the woods. They were quite safe there, as the
Prussians never came into the woods on account of the sharpshooters.
W. said their camp was comfortable enough--they had all their
household utensils, beds, blankets, donkeys, and goats, and could make
fires in the clearing in the middle of the woods. They were mostly
women and children, only a very few old men and young boys left. The
poor things were terrified by the Germans and Bismarck, of whom they
had made