Mlle. Soubise was then very young, and in appearance like a Creole. She had very beautiful dark eyes, with a gentle, timid expression, and the voice of a child. Her head, however, was full of adventure, romance, and day-dreams. In appearance we might both have been taken for quite young girls, for, although I was older than she was, my slenderness and my face made me look younger. It would have been absurd to try to take a trunk with us, so I took a bag for us both. We only had a change of linen and some stockings. I had my revolver, and I offered one to Mlle. Soubise, but she refused it with horror, and showed me an enormous pair of scissors in an enormous case. “But what are you going to do with them?” I asked. “I shall kill myself if we are attacked,” she replied. I was surprised at the difference in our characters. I was taking a revolver, determined to protect myself by killing others; she was determined to protect herself by killing herself. XVIII A BOLD JOURNEY THROUGH THE GERMAN LINES On February 4 we started on this journey, which was to have lasted three days, and lasted eleven. At the first gate at which I presented myself for leaving Paris I was sent back in the most brutal fashion. Permissions to go outside the city had to be submitted for signature at the German outposts. I went to another gate, but it was only at the postern gate of Poissonniers that I could get my passport signed. We were taken into a little shed which had been transformed into an office. A Prussian general was seated there. He looked me up and down, and then said: “Are you Sarah Bernhardt?” “Yes,” I answered. “And this young lady is with you?” “Yes.” “And you think you are going to cross easily?” “I hope so.” “Well then, you are mistaken, and you would do better to stay inside Paris.” “No; I want to leave. I’ll see myself what will happen, but I want to leave.” He shrugged his shoulders, called an officer, said something I did not understand in German, and then went out, leaving us alone without our passports. We had been there about a quarter of an hour when I suddenly heard a voice I knew. It was that of one of my friends, René Griffon, who had heard of my departure, and had come after me to try to dissuade me. The trouble he had taken was all in vain, though, as I was determined to leave. The general returned soon after, and Griffon was anxious to know what might happen to us. “Everything!” returned the officer. “And worse than everything!” Griffon spoke German, and had a short colloquy with the officer about us. This rather annoyed me, for, as I did not understand, I imagined that he was urging the general to prevent us from starting. I nevertheless resisted all persuasions, supplications, and even threats. A few minutes later a well-appointed vehicle drew up at the door of the shed.