"Ha! and what is the name of this village?"
The Prussian replied:
"Pharsbourg."
He added: "We caught these French blackguards by the ears."
And he glanced towards M. Dubuis, laughing into his moustache in an insulting fashion.
The train rolled on, always passing through hamlets occupied by the victorious army. German soldiers could be seen along the roads, on the edges of fields, standing in front of gates, or chatting outside cafés. They covered the soil like African locusts.
The officer said, with a wave of his hand:
"If I were in command, I'd take Paris, burn everything, kill everybody. No more France!"
The Englishman, through politeness, replied simply:
"Ah! yes."