It is two o'clock in the morning—all the men have retired. I have just returned from Calonne Trench and am very tired on entering our shelter. A man—with a sheepskin thrown over his uniform like a cape—is waiting for me in the outer room. He is seated near the smouldering fire. He rises quickly.
"Good morning, cousin——"
"What, you here!—Speak low because the others sleep."
"Yes, I learned that you were at Eparges, and obtained permission to come and see you before going into the trenches."
"What are you doing?"
"Back of the lines I'm a color bearer, here, I am just like the others. Very soon we are going to occupy the craters."
"Keep your eyes open, mon petit, and don't forget that in this damned sector you must have sang-froid and presence of mind if you want to get out of it alive. You must save from tears some pretty pair of eyes—a handsome young man like yourself certainly has a sweetheart!"
He blushed to the roots of his hair.
"I'm not ashamed of that. If I survive this only the love of a woman can bring happiness hereafter."