My Home In The Field of Honor | Page 4

would have to leave within an hour after any
declaration of hostilities. He has a special mission to perform. But he's
certain of coming down by the five o'clock train to-morrow."
We went in to dinner but conversation lagged. Each one seemed
preoccupied and no one minded the long silences. We were so quiet
that the Angelus ringing at Charly, some four miles away, roused us
with something of a shock.
Saturday morning, August 1st, the carryall rolled up to the station for
the early train. All made a general rush for the papers which had just
arrived and all of us were equally horrified when a glance showed the
headline-Jaures, the Great Socialist Leader, Assassinated. Decidedly
the plot thickened and naturally we all jumped to the same
conclusion--a political crime.
"There's a stronger hand than the murderer's back of that felony,"
murmured a plain man from the corner of our compartment.
"What makes you say that?"
"Why, can't you see, Monsieur, that our enemies are counting on the
deed to stir up the revolutionary party and breed discord in the country!
It's as plain as day!"
That was rather opening the door to a lengthy discussion, but our
friends refused to debate, especially as we could hear excited masculine
voices rising high above the ordinary tone in the compartments on
either side of us.
The journey drew to a close without any further remarkable incident. It
seemed to me that we passed more up trains than usual, but were not a
moment overdue. There was nothing to complain of. As we approached
La Villette and drew into the Gare de l'Est everybody noticed the
extraordinary number of locomotives that were getting up steam in the
yards. There were rows and rows of them, just as close together as it
was possible to range them, and as far as the eye could see their
glittering boilers extended down the tracks in even lines. Each one had
a freshly glued yellow label, on which was printed in big black capitals
the name of its home station. That was the most significant preparation
we had witnessed as yet. Presently we observed that the platforms of
freight and express depots had been swept clear of every obstacles and
the usually encumbered Gare de l'Est was clean and empty as the hand
of man could make it.

In the courtyard our party separated, promising to meet for the five
o'clock express--"Unless something serious prevents."
I accompanied H. to the Caserne des Minimes where he went to see if
his military situation was registered up to date in his livret, and all
along the streets leading from the station we met women silently
wiping their eyes.
What a sight the courtyard of that barracks presented! Some five or six
thousand men of all ages, classes and conditions who up until that
moment had never thought that the loss of a military book entailed the
slightest consequence, had one and all been pushed by that single
thought, "Be ready for duty." Here they were, boys of twenty and men
of forty, standing in line, braving their all-time enemy, the gendarme,
each silently waiting his turn to explain his situation. To the credit of
the gendarme and all those in authority, it must be said that contrary to
their usual custom they acted like loving fathers with these prodigal
sons of the Republic--possible information without the sign of a
grumble, and advising those who were still streaming in at the door to
come back towards five o'clock, when the line should have advanced a
little. It was then scarcely ten A. M.!
H. had finished in no time.
"All I've got to do is to go home and wait until I am called for," he
explained as we walked away at a brisk gait.
Like most country people when they come to town I had numerous
errands to do, so we set off towards the _Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville_,
renowned for its farming implements.
At the corner of the Rue des Archives we met Monsieur Gauthier on his
way to his Museum.
"_Grave--tre's grave--la situation, Monsieur_," was all he could say.
"What would you advise us to do?"
"Well, to speak plainly, I should advise you to shut up the chateau,
leave a guardian, and open your Paris apartment. You're in the east, you
know! I shall go down by the five train and bring back Elizabeth and
the children. I'd be easier in my mind if I knew they were in a big city!
I If you have to leave, Madame Huard would be better off here."
H. was very sober as we left Mr. Gauthier.
"Bah! Cheer up! I'm afraid our friend is an alarmist. You know he has
two young children!"

We entered the Bazar,