Dr. Cuthbert arrived from Paris with a detachment of nurses and orderlies, who soon brought order into the house. And, to every one’s joy, Miss Fenn and Miss Goodwin, professional cook and parlour-maid, came over from London to run the establishment. After the arrangements at Claridge’s, English cooking and ample army rations almost constituted luxury.
For the service some Belgian girls were engaged, and a French-English vocabulary was pinned on the kitchen wall, by means of which Miss Fenn and Miss Goodwin were able to direct the work. After a few days, a complete understanding took place between them; and cheerful conversation was not wanting.
For heavier work, one ‘Joseph’ was added to the establishment. He was a young Belgian of military age, who had no taste for military service! He was a refugee with his wife and child. He roused the sympathies of the staff by relating the graphic story of the death of his brother, whom he said he had seen cut into small pieces by German soldiers ‘before his very eyes.’
‘My only brother,’ he would say, and burst into tears.
Much kindness was shown to his wife and little girl; and Joseph’s own shortcomings and disappearances were leniently treated. A few weeks later he told the quartermaster with much indignation that his brother had written him a begging letter.
‘But,’ said the quartermaster, ‘I thought you had only one brother?’
‘It is true, mam’selle, and now he wishes to beg of me.’
‘But you said that you saw the Germans cut him to pieces,’ remonstrated the quartermaster.
‘It is true, mam’selle. Nevertheless, he has written asking me for money,’ replied Joseph, too much absorbed in his anger against his brother to notice his own want of veracity.
The town was full of Belgians, for whom relief was organised by M. Larensard, the proprietor of the stationer’s shop and library. He had a soup-kitchen in the coach-house of the château, and begged that he might not be displaced. He came daily to supervise the soupe, looking like an El Greco grandee, with his long ivory face, his pointed beard and erect white hair. He wore black clothes, a white clerical-looking tie and fluffy yellow socks, and on his arm a white brassard indicated his merciful calling. He had a Christian creed and lived up to it.