Thanks to his strong constitution, he took a turn for the better, not, however, without passing several bad days, and the fever left him.
How long was all this going to last? He did not know——
So he began to feel better and stronger and rejoiced when the doctor, in the course of his visits, said to him:
"You're going to pull through, and I'm glad of it——"
He was still extremely feeble, had to be nourished with a spoon, but he did not forget that he was very well taken care of in this hospital.
Turning his head, he perceived with surprise that his neighbor in the next bed was his comrade in the trenches, Paul Dubois——
"Is that you, Patachon?"
"Yes, my pauv' vieux."