On the chimney-piece, under an enormous glass shade, were a bride’s wreath, a military medal, and a plait of white hair. On each side of the glass shade was a china vase, containing a branch of box. All this, together with the table and the bed, belonged to the landlady, who had given up her room to the officer. There were five cane chairs round the table, a velvet armchair, and a wooden bench covered with books against the wall. A sword and belt were lying on the table, and two horse pistols. I was philosophizing to myself on all these heterogeneous objects, when the others arrived: Mlle. Soubise, Villaret, young Gerson, and that unbearable Théodore Joussiau. I hope he will forgive me if he is living now, poor man, but the thought of him still irritates me. The officer had some boiling hot tea brought in for us, and it was a veritable treat, as we were exhausted with hunger and cold. When the door was opened for the tea to come in, Théodore Joussiau caught a glimpse of the throng of girls, soldiers, and other people. “Ah, my friends,” he exclaimed, with a burst of laughter, “we are at his majesty William’s; there is a reception on, and it’s _chic_—I can tell you that!...” With this he smacked his tongue twice. Villaret reminded him that we were the guests of a German, and that it was preferable to be quiet. “That’s enough, that’s enough!” he replied, lighting a cigarette. A frightful uproar of oaths and shouts now took the place of the deafening sound of the orchestra, and the incorrigible Southerner half opened the door. I could see the officer giving orders to two subofficers who, in their turn, separated the groups, seizing the stoker, the engine driver, and the other men belonging to the train, so roughly that I was sorry for them. They were kicked in the back, they received blows with the flat of the sword on the shoulder, and a blow with the butt end of a gun knocked the guard of the train down. He was the ugliest brute, though, that I have ever seen. All these people were sobered in a few seconds, and went back toward our carriage, with a hangdog look and a threatening mien. We followed them, but I did not feel any too satisfied as to what might happen to us on the way with this queer lot. The officer evidently had a similar idea, for he ordered one of the subofficers to accompany us as far as Amiens. This subofficer got into our carriage and we set off again. We arrived at Amiens at six in the morning. Daylight had not yet succeeded in piercing through the night clouds. A fine rain was falling, which was hardened by the cold. There was no carriage to be had and not even a porter. I wanted to go to the Hotel du Cheval-Blanc, but a man who happened to be there said to me: “It’s no use, my little young lady, there’s no way of putting up even a lath like you. Go to the house over there with a balcony; they can put some people up.”