Although not trusting themselves to speak, almost simultaneously the two Americans put their hands into their pockets, drawing out all the small money they possessed at the moment.
But the French girl shook her head. “We are not beggars, my Captain and I. We have come to say bon jour to the American troops.” She spoke in French. Then seeing that the young officers continued to thrust their money toward her, she accepted it finally with a little graceful gesture, and nodding a friendly farewell went on along the line of cars gazing into each window in equally interested fashion, and still leading her officer by the hand. He went without resisting while now and then she spoke to him gently as one would to a beloved child.
Lieutenant Hugh Kelley drew in his breath in a faint-hearted whistle. “Some poor French chap who has lost his mind or his memory or both and is living in one of the nearby hospitals. I suppose the little French girl is an orphan and they are somehow trying make things up to each other. Well, I might as well confess, Lieutenant, I’ll not forget that child or that poor fellow soon. Maybe our own men——”
“Oh, cut it out, Hugh,” Lieutenant Martin answered, “it is one of the fortunes of war. But that was an interesting little French girl. There is something about her one will remember. See they have stopped now and are talking to Miss Davis and her friends.”
For it was true that in a small compartment, separated from the rest of the long train, was a small group of American Red Cross nurses, which included Nona Davis, Barbara Thornton, and the two nurses with whom Nona had worked in Italy, Mollie Drew and Agatha Burton.
Their presence on the soldiers’ train was due to an accident. Their Red Cross ship, which had arrived at a French port at nearly the same time the American soldiers’ transport, had failed to make proper arrangements with the French authorities. As a matter of fact, the Red Cross ship got in several days before she was expected and there were no transportation facilities to take the nurses and doctors to the various hospital stations at which they expected to work. Therefore a few of them were obliged to travel whenever any opportunity presented.
Lieutenant John Martin had been right. It was Nona Davis who had first discovered the little French girl and her companion just outside their window, looking in at them with the same expression of friendly interest she had shown the American officers.
After the first sensation of shocked surprise which the young Frenchman occasioned, Nona smiled and began talking to the little girl.
“Would you mind telling me your name? Mine is Nona Davis, and I am a Red Cross nurse on my way to one of the new hospitals.”
The child nodded, showing that she understood Nona’s French, which was fairly good after her past experience in France.