Is it because I am such a mixture that I am this rotten creature?--An American grandmother, a French mother, and an English father. Paris--Eton--Cannes--Continuous traveling. Some years of living and enjoying a rich orphan's life.--The war--fighting--a zest hitherto undreamed of--unconsciousness--agony--and then?--well now Paris again for special treatment. Why do I write this down? For posterity to take up the threads correctly?--Why? From some architectural sense in me which must make a beginning, even of a journal, for my eyes alone, start upon a solid basis? I know not--and care not. * * * * * Three charming creatures are coming to have tea with me to-day. They had heard of my loneliness and my savageness from Maurice--They burn to give me their sympathy--and have tea with plenty of sugar in it--and chocolate cake. I used to wonder in my salad days what the brains of women were made of--when they have brains!--The cleverest of them are generally devoid of a logical sense, and they seldom understand the relative value of things, but they make the charm of life, for one reason or another. When I have seen these three I will dissect them. A divorcée--a war widow of two years--and the third with a husband fighting. All, Maurice assures me, ready for anything, and highly attractive. It will do me a great deal of good, he protests. We shall see. _Night._ They came, with Maurice and Alwood Chester, of the American Red Cross. They gave little shrill screams of admiration for the room. "_Quel endroit delicieux!_--What _boiserie_! English?--Yes, of course, English _dix-septième_, one could see--What silver!--and cleaned--And everything of a _chic_!--And the hermit so _séduisant_ with his air _maussade_!--_Hein._" "Yes, the war is much too long--One has given of one's time in the first year--but now, really, fatigue has overcome one!--and surely after the spring offensive peace _must_ come soon--and one must live!" They smoked continuously and devoured the chocolate cake, then they had liqueurs. They were so well dressed! and so lissome. They wore elastic corsets, or none at all. They were well painted; cheeks of the new tint, rather apricot coloured--and magenta lips. They had arranged themselves when they had finished munching, bringing out their gold looking-glasses and their lip grease and their powder--and the divorcee continued to endeavour to enthrall my senses with her voluptuous half closing of the eyes, while she reddened her full mouth.