Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/ordealbyfire00bergiala THE ORDEAL BY FIRE by A Sergeant in the French Army MARCEL BERGER Translated by Mrs. Cecil Curtis G.P. Putnam's Sons New York and London The Knickerbocker Press 1917 Copyright, 1916 by G. P. Putnam's Sons The Knickerbocker Press, New York CONTENTS PART I _BOOK I_ _August 1, 1914_ CHAPTER PAGE I. JEANNINE LANDRY 3 II. A YOUNG MAN OF 1914 11 III. BELLS 19 IV. A MOUNTAIN VILLAGE, THE SAME EVENING 25 V. A MEDITATION AT THE WINDOW 31 _BOOK II_ _August 2nd-3rd_ VI. I GO BACK BY TRAIN 40 VII. PARIS, AT FIRST SIGHT 45 VIII. MY FATHER 51 IX. MY FRIEND 60 X. EVENING, ON THE BOULEVARDS 66 _BOOK III_ _August 4th-9th_ XI. THE FIRST STAGE 72 XII. NEW COMRADES AND OLD 79 XIII. KNOCKS AND CONTACTS 85 XIV. THE EXISTING STATE OF MIND 93 XV. AT THE GLOBE CAFÉ 103 XVI. CAVILLINGS 117 XVII. SUSPICIONS OF EMOTION 125 XVIII. A RETURN OF EGOISM 131 PART II _BOOK IV_ _August 9th-12th_ I. UNDER WAY 141 II. HARASSED, ALREADY 150 III. IN BILLETS 160 IV. AN ALARM 170 V. A THUNDERBOLT 176 _BOOK V_ _August 12th-13th_ VI. ON THE WAY TO THE FIRING LINE 184 VII. I EXAMINE MY CONSCIENCE 190 VIII. AWAITING OUR CUE 196 IX. THE BAPTISM OF FIRE 207 X. A MOMENT'S RESPITE 216 XI. A MUCH STIFFER MATTER 221 XII. WE COLLECT OURSELVES 232 _BOOK VI_ _August 14th-25th_ XIII. A VICTORIOUS DAWN 239 XIV. EN ROUTE AGAIN 250 XV. A NIGHT ON OUTPOST DUTY 255 XVI. GOOD COMRADES 265 XVII. DE VALPIC 272 XVIII. DARK HOURS 278