And till night not a soul appeared in the neighbourhood. After supper we went to bed with heavy hearts.
XII
The next day was very gloomy; the sky was cloudy, and at length it began to rain, after the two months' drought; the rain fell heavily and continuously; the hours passed slowly away, the order to commence operations did not come, and I said to myself:
"That is a good sign! So much the better! If we had been defeated the order would have arrived early this morning."
But we had no news, and about three o'clock, losing patience, I said to Marie-Rose and the grandmother:
"See here, I cannot stand this any longer; I must go to Petite Pierre to find out what is going on."
I put on my water-proof cape and went out into the pouring rain. On our sandy soil the water flows off without soaking into the ground. I arrived at Petite Pierre, where every one was then shut up in the cottages, about six o'clock. At the point of the fort, high up in air a sentinel was on guard outside of his watch-box.
A few minutes later I entered the office of the chief inspector. He was there alone, walking up and down with a bowed back and a gloomy air, and when I raised my hood he stopped short and said to me:
"It is you, Father Frederick, is it? Have you come to hear the news and to get your orders?"
"Yes, sir," I replied.