登陆注册
19464400000108

第108章

Mary had suddenly woke, and was sitting upright with her fists in her eyes like a small child. Her hand flew to her hair, and her eyes ran over us as if to see that we were all there. As she counted the four of us she seemed relieved.

'I reckon you feel refreshed, Miss Mary,' said Blenkiron. 'It's good to think that now we can sleep in peace, all of us. Pretty soon you'll be in England and spring will be beginning, and please God it'll be the start of a better world. Our work's over, anyhow.'

'I wonder,' said the girl gravely. 'I don't think there's any discharge in this war. Dick, have you news of the battle? This was the day.'

'It's begun,' I said, and told them the little I had learned from the French General. 'I've made a reputation as a prophet, for he thought the attack was coming in Champagne. It's St Quentin right enough, but I don't know what has happened. We'll hear in Paris.'

Mary had woke with a startled air as if she remembered her old instinct that our work would not be finished without a sacrifice, and that sacrifice the best of us. The notion kept recurring to me with an uneasy insistence. But soon she appeared to forget her anxiety. That afternoon as we journeyed through the pleasant land of France she was in holiday mood, and she forced all our spirits up to her level. It was calm, bright weather, the long curves of ploughland were beginning to quicken into green, the catkins made a blue mist on the willows by the watercourses, and in the orchards by the red-roofed hamlets the blossom was breaking. In such a scene it was hard to keep the mind sober and grey, and the pall of war slid from us. Mary cosseted and fussed over Peter like an elder sister over a delicate little boy. She made him stretch his bad leg full length on the seat, and when she made tea for the party of us it was a protesting Peter who had the last sugar biscuit. Indeed, we were almost a merry company, for Blenkiron told stories of old hunting and engineering days in the West, and Peter and I were driven to cap them, and Mary asked provocative questions, and Wake listened with amused interest. It was well that we had the carriage to ourselves, for no queerer rigs were ever assembled. Mary, as always, was neat and workmanlike in her dress; Blenkiron was magnificent in a suit of russet tweed with a pale-blue shirt and collar, and well-polished brown shoes; but Peter and Wake were in uniforms which had seen far better days, and I wore still the boots and the shapeless and ragged clothes of Joseph Zimmer, the porter from Arosa.

We appeared to forget the war, but we didn't, for it was in the background of all our minds. Somewhere in the north there was raging a desperate fight, and its issue was the true test of our success or failure. Mary showed it by bidding me ask for news at every stopping-place. I asked gendarmes and _Permissionnaires, but Ilearned nothing. Nobody had ever heard of the battle. The upshot was that for the last hour we all fell silent, and when we reached Paris about seven o'clock my first errand was to the bookstall.

I bought a batch of evening papers, which we tried to read in the taxis that carried us to our hotel. Sure enough there was the announcement in big headlines. The enemy had attacked in great strength from south of Arras to the Oise; but everywhere he had been repulsed and held in our battle-zone. The leading articles were confident, the notes by the various military critics were almost braggart. At last the German had been driven to an offensive, and the Allies would have the opportunity they had longed for of proving their superior fighting strength. It was, said one and all, the opening of the last phase of the war.

I confess that as I read my heart sank. If the civilians were so over-confident, might not the generals have fallen into the same trap? Blenkiron alone was unperturbed. Mary said nothing, but she sat with her chin in her hands, which with her was a sure sign of deep preoccupation.

Next morning the papers could tell us little more. The main attack had been on both sides of St Quentin, and though the British had given ground it was only the outposts line that had gone. The mist had favoured the enemy, and his bombardment had been terrific, especially the gas shells. Every journal added the old old comment - that he had paid heavily for his temerity, with losses far exceeding those of the defence.

Wake appeared at breakfast in his private's uniform. He wanted to get his railway warrant and be off at once, but when I heard that Amiens was his destination I ordered him to stay and travel with me in the afternoon. I was in uniform myself now and had taken charge of the outfit. I arranged that Blenkiron, Mary, and Peter should go on to Boulogne and sleep the night there, while Wake and I would be dropped at Amiens to await instructions.

I spent a busy morning. Once again I visited with Blenkiron the little cabinet in the Boulevard St Germain, and told in every detail our work of the past two months. Once again I sat in the low building beside the Invalides and talked to staff officers. But some of the men I had seen on the first visit were not there. The chiefs of the French Army had gone north.

We arranged for the handling of the Wild Birds, now safely in France, and sanction was given to the course I had proposed to adopt with Ivery. He and his guard were on their way to Amiens, and I would meet them there on the morrow. The great men were very complimentary to us, so complimentary that my knowledge of grammatical French ebbed away and I could only stutter in reply.

That telegram sent by Blenkiron on the night of the 18th, from the information given me in the Pink Chalet, had done wonders in clearing up the situation.

But when I asked them about the battle they could tell me little.

同类推荐
  • 孙真人摄养论

    孙真人摄养论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 襄阳守城录

    襄阳守城录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 平斋词

    平斋词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 玉清内书

    玉清内书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 医暇卮言

    医暇卮言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 傲世龙醒

    傲世龙醒

    他本来出生名门,因为家族的争权夺势,被迫流离他乡,从小受尽欺凌,直到她的出现,为了她,自己宁愿颠覆几大家族,,,,
  • 凡人改命

    凡人改命

    命运,有多少人困苦挣扎,有多少人尽享荣华。要相信没有一种生命的轮回是命中注定.
  • 少年传销记

    少年传销记

    一个处于懵懂年龄时段的少年被网友有预谋地骗到传销窝,本书描述少年在传销窝的经历,本故事实属真实。
  • 尸解仙归来

    尸解仙归来

    十二年前,一本名为《尸解经》的邪书悄然出现在华夏大地上,凡是读过此书者无不性情大变,冷酷嗜血六亲不认,且身体衍生出种种奇妙变化,几乎不死不灭,人们将读过此书后变成的怪物称为“尸妖人”。少年林天缘偶然得到这么一本《尸解经》,但他在读过之后却并未像其他人那样变成尸妖人,反而不断的做着一个奇怪的梦——你以为归来的是尸妖人么?不,归来的不是他们,是仙人,是尸解仙人,是人类那被埋藏于一千三百年前的杀戮、恐惧与贪婪。那些遗忘我的、嘲笑我的、阻挠我的,便让你们在今天全部记起,那被遗忘在历史帷幕下的白骨如山啊!号角声已经响起,战国时代即将到来!
  • 大龙荒

    大龙荒

    这是一片横跨了几十亿光年的广敖大地,无数日月星辰为之点缀,恐怖的荒古丛林,混乱的暴风海域,残忍的地底魔窟,血腥的暗黑领域......吼!一只浑身布满鳞片的巨大飞龙展翅翱翔,它的四对肉翼张开,遮蔽了一整片大海。一头上古巨猿从荒林当中直立而起,它举起一只通天手臂,抓住了天上一颗星辰,将之爆碎!陆青和校友们在一次地震中身亡,他们在这片大地上复生,成为了一只只弱小的动物。为了在危机四伏的古林当中生存下去,陆青不断的战斗与厮杀,觉醒了隐藏的肉体深处的恐怖力量。
  • Alcestis

    Alcestis

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 腐女教师

    腐女教师

    天呐!好友小丽看着蓝夕眼珠子都要瞪出来了!她她她,她竟然能当教师?那家伙真是腐到骨子里了,连到动物园看见一个游客在喂猴子脑海里都会YY出一段惊世骇俗的爱恋!况且高一八班可是有名的差班,几乎汇聚了这所金牌高中所有的小混混和家中巨有钱的纨绔子弟。有她这样的教师那些小混混以后的日子可怎么活呀!好友小丽不厚道的为那些小混混抹上一滴伤心泪!
  • 裹尸皮

    裹尸皮

    我叫张善水,上善若水的善水。爷爷偶得一张油皮纸充满了神秘,我迫不及待地想要解开这个秘密。远走四川,追寻爷爷的脚迹。可谁知环环紧扣,越陷越深!墓下的神秘鬼影,棺椁里的第三具尸体,乾陵立的无字碑!那些不为人知的种种到底是否存在?这到底是一个人的阴谋?还是整个世界的阴谋?
  • 噬血狂潮

    噬血狂潮

    以血为誓,新世界必将到来。----------------红月之后,一部分人类转化成了传说中的吸血鬼。没有对错,只有生存。是人类最终屠尽了吸血鬼,还是吸血鬼将人类变成了食粮,在这样一个世界里,一个吸血鬼少年慢慢成长成为了真正的吸血鬼王族。----------------吸血鬼之王,荣耀与血必将与你同在!
  • 天狼帝国

    天狼帝国

    一个宇航员意外钻入黑洞,来到神武世界,修炼神武功法,最终成为绝代高手。