"Oh, you wouldn't have been any great loss, but the bottles——"
The house shakes with the shock of the explosions, which come nearer and nearer. Sabots are clattering in the yard. The Achains and the women from neighbouring houses hurry to take refuge in the cellar. We should be wise to follow their example. That, however, would mean leaving the lunch, which is simmering on the fire! Besides, there's something attractive in the idea of brazening the thing out.
The explosions continue. By way of the chimney, which serves as an acoustic tube, we hear the dull, distant detonation as the shell leaves the gun, then the hissing sound, which increases in volume, and finally the violent explosion a few yards away.
A projectile crashes through the roof of the house opposite.
"Suppose we go and see how they are getting along in the cellar?" anxiously suggests Jules.
In a corner crouch the Achains and five or six other women. Sighs and lamentations; invocations to Jesus and Mary!
"Is the house demolished?" asks Madame Achain.
"No, not yet."
At this very moment a shell bursts in the yard.