"You have sent me a charming god-son, but the day of his arrival he seized me in his arms as if with all his strength and planted a sonorous kiss on both cheeks, saying, 'On behalf of my god-father!' "It appears that you are his god-father! I am still thrilled by it. I pardon you this time because this brave boy has lifted a small corner of the great veil that hangs over Paris and which hides your sufferings. You are bold, he told me--do not expose yourself uselessly. "The life in Paris is once more the same as ever. I am sending you some Parma violets, since you like them. They are all that I could find. I seldom go out. It is quite a long time since you have written----" CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE ENEMY, BEFORE ST. GEORGES. _August_, 1915. On arriving at the "Brick Bridge" to-night, I found everyone in great spirits. There was a group along the edge of the canal--in the middle was a boche prisoner. The big lumbering cuss had the air of complete bewilderment. Our marines were all talking to him at once and harassing him with a thousand questions. An officer approached. "Quiet, men! Two men to conduct this fellow to the Brigade Headquarters, and lively!" They took the road, followed by the German, who kept at their heels like a pet dog. The officer explained that for several days his marines had maintained correspondence with him. They placed their messages in a bottle which drifted along with the current. The boche had written: "My wife has advised me to surrender, but you are terrible soldiers--you certainly would massacre me." Some hours later the reply of the marines came to reassure him that everything would be all right. This tableau lasted several days and "Jean Gouin" ended by believing that it was a ruse of the enemy and ceased to write. Finally a message came to them, drifting along in the bottle: "To-night I will come along the slope of the canal. Do not shoot at me. I am the father of four children." And so, when night fell, they saw a big, black mass creeping along the edge of the bluff. Our fusiliers were ready to spring, but he was alone. * * * * * With his two guardians the deserter was taken a roundabout way. They passed along the whole first line of the north sector because the two Marines wanted to parade the boche before their comrades. They were proud of this capture and gave their prisoner cigarettes, and bread, and one of them had the generosity to slip a box of _singe_[13] into his pocket! They led him farther, almost to the road to Lombaertzyde, to show him to the Zouaves, and finally took the road for Brigade Headquarters. In the sector held by the 2nd Regiment of Marine Fusiliers they discussed this incident for a long time. FOR THE COOK'S TOURISTS, IN FRONT OF ST. GEORGES. _August_, 1915.