“Well, monsieur,” I said, “the only cattle in the train will be the eight French passengers, and I should be very much obliged if you would give orders that the journey should be continued.”
“Make your mind easy about that, madame,” he replied. “Will you come in and rest? I am here just now on a round of inspection, and am staying for a few days in this inn. You shall have a cup of tea, and that will refresh you.”
I told him that I had a friend waiting for me in the road, and a lady in the railway carriage.
“But that makes no difference,” he said, “let us go and fetch them.”
A few minutes later we found poor Villaret seated on a milestone. His head was on his knees and he was asleep. I asked him to fetch Mlle. Soubise.
“And if your other traveling companions will come and take a cup of tea, they will be welcome,” said the officer. I went back with him, and we entered by the little door through which I had seen him come out. It was a fairly large room which we entered, on a level with the meadow; there were some mats on the floor, a very low bed, and an enormous table, on which were two large maps of France. One of these was studded over with pins and small flags. There was also a portrait of the Emperor William, mounted, and fastened up with four pins, and all this belonged to the officer.
On the chimney-piece, under an enormous glass shade, were a bride’s wreath, a military medal, and a plait of white hair. On each side of the glass shade was a china vase, containing a branch of box. All this, together with the table and the bed, belonged to the landlady, who had given up her room to the officer. There were five cane chairs round the table, a velvet armchair, and a wooden bench covered with books against the wall. A sword and belt were lying on the table, and two horse pistols.
I was philosophizing to myself on all these heterogeneous objects, when the others arrived: Mlle. Soubise, Villaret, young Gerson, and that unbearable Théodore Joussiau. I hope he will forgive me if he is living now, poor man, but the thought of him still irritates me.
The officer had some boiling hot tea brought in for us, and it was a veritable treat, as we were exhausted with hunger and cold.
When the door was opened for the tea to come in, Théodore Joussiau caught a glimpse of the throng of girls, soldiers, and other people.