"My nephew Charles, le Prince de Vimont, eats chicken and cutlets on the meatless days, he told me with pride, his _maître d'hôtel_--he of the one eye--like thou, Nicholas, is able to procure plenty on the day before from friends in the trade, and with ice--_Mon Dieu!_--and I pay twenty-eight francs apiece for the best poulets for my _blessés_ for extra rations!--and ice!--impossible to procure--. Oh! I would punish them all, choke them with their own meat--it is they who should be "food for the guns" as you English say,--they, these few disgrace our brave France, and make the other nations laugh at us." I tried to assure her that no one laughed, and that we all understood and worshipped the spirit of France, that it was only the few, and that we were not deceived, but I could not calm her. "It makes me weep" at last she said and I could not comfort her. "Heloise de Tavantaine--my Cousin's Jew daughter-in-law--paid four thousand francs for a new evening dress, which did not cover a tenth of her fat body--Four thousand francs would have given my _blessés_--Ah!--well--I rage, I rage." Then she checked herself--. "But why do I say this to thee Nicholas?--because I am sore--it is ever thus--we are all human, and must cry to someone." So after all there is some meaning in my journal. "_One must cry to someone!_" * * * * * Burton is delighted that I shall write a book!--He wrote at once to my aunt Emmeline to tell her that I was better. I have her letter with congratulations in it to-day. Burton does the correspondence with my few relations, all war working hard in England. I am becoming quite excited, I long to begin, but there is no use until Maurice finds me a stenographer. He has heard of two. One a Miss Jenkins, aged forty--sounds good, but she can only give three hours a day--and I must have one at my beck and call--There is a second one, a Miss Sharp--but she is only twenty-three--plain though, Maurice says, and wears horn spectacles--that should not attract me! She makes bandages all the evening, but is obliged to work for her living so could come for the day. She is not out of a job, because she is very expert, but she does not like her present one. I would have to pay her very highly Maurice says--I don't mind that, I want the best.--I had better see Miss Sharp, and judge if I can stand her. She may have a personality I could not work with. Maurice must bring her to-morrow. The news to-night is worse.--The banks have sent away all their securities.--But I shall not leave--one might as well die in a bombardment as any other way. The English Consul has to know all the names of the English residents in case of evacuation. But I will not go.