A Maid and a Million Men: the candid confessions of Leona Canwick, censored indiscreetly by James G. Dunton
John Stuart Mill · en
Just then I was all excited about something else: and I knew it was
absolutely inane, utterly foolish of me, too. However, the fact remained
that I did see Captain Winstead in Paris! Just the sight of him was
enough to make me dizzy.
I assumed he had something to do with the Intelligence, for it was there
that I saw him. He was talking with some officers in the entrance to the
building, and Getterlow and I were sitting in the General’s car, out of
the rain. I had my slicker turned up around my ears and I just couldn’t
make my hands pull it down—I couldn’t decide whether I wanted him to
see me or not. In the first place, if he had a memory for faces, he
might recognize me at once; and I didn’t know whether he’d met Leon in
Wakeham or not—if not, he would be suspicious at once. Besides I didn’t
think I could face him without giving myself away: he was handsomer than
ever and I could have climbed right on his neck the minute I saw him
again.
Anyway, he finally walked right past us and I saluted him. He didn’t
even stop to look at me—just saluted and went on his way. I suppose I
was foolish to be so excited: probably nobody would be suspicious of
me—I mean, after all, Captain Winstead would not have any reason to
suspect that a girl was in France disguised as a soldier. I wished I had
spoken to him.... This damned old war: he might not be in Paris the next
time we got there!
—9—
My mail caught up with me in Bourges and brought letters from home and
from Ben.
Poor Ben: he said he broke out with some kind of rash or measles or
something equally childish and they sent him to the infirmary at Le
Mans. “I’m ashamed of myself for having anything like this, but I’ll
stay here now until you poison Getterlow and get me out.” I was
surprised to find that he could actually write English that you could
read. He must have gone to school at some time in his lurid past. I
wrote and told him that Getterlow was coming to the end of his rope.
The letter from home inclosed some American Express checks, which would
come in handy, and told me that Leon gave up trying to get across any
other way and finally enlisted in a hospital unit that expected to come
over very soon. Also someone had heard from Jay-Jay—and he was
stationed in Paris!
Wasn’t that just my luck! To have the man you love and the man that
loves you in the same city. After all, Paris was a pretty small place,
in so far as American soldiers were concerned: there were only half a
dozen places where they congregated, and if I got to Paris again, I
couldn’t try to see Captain Winstead without running the risk of meeting
Jay-Jay.