When I returned to the pantry, I found Nini weeping copiously. Imagining she had become frightened by the sudden departure of our friends, I was collecting my wits to console and reassure her, when she burst forth, "Oh, Madame--Madame--the _pates--_" "Well?" "The lovely _pates!_--all burned to cinders! Such a waste!" In our excitement we had forgotten to take from the oven two handsome _Pates de lievre_ of which I was more than duly proud. And as Nini expressed it, they were burned to cinders. How H. chuckled at our first domestic mishap. "Fine cooks, you are," said he, turning to Berthe and Nini, who hung their heads and blushed crimson. "And it's to you that I'm going to entrust Madame when I leave!" Tuesday, the fourth, the drum rolled at an early hour and the _garde-champetre_ announced the declaration of war. It was not news to anyone, for all had considered the mobilization as the real thing. We were breakfasting when we heard a strange rumbling up the road. It was such a funny noise--midway between that of a steam roller and a threshing machine--that we both went out towards the lodge to see what was passing by. We were not a little surprised on perceiving our gendarmes sitting in an antiquated motor, whose puffing and wheezing betokened its age. They stopped when they saw us, and after exchanging greetings, laughingly poked fun at their vehicle--far less imposing than their well-groomed horses, but the only thing that could cover between seventy and eighty miles a day! From them we learned that the mobilization was being carried out in perfection, and in all their tours to outlying villages and hamlets not a single delinquent had been found --not a single man was missing! All had willingly answered the call to arms! Between the excitement and all the work that had to be done at Villiers, time passed with phenomenal rapidity. As yet we had had no occasion to perceive the lack of mail and daily papers, and though I had always had a sub-conscious feeling that H. would eventually receive his marching orders, it was rather a shock when they came. Being in a frontier department he was called out earlier than expected. And instead of being sent around-circuit way to reach his regiment south of Paris, he was ordered to gain _Chateau Thierry_ at once, and there await instructions.