bout it first."

"It's absolutely safe," Donovan protested. "It's quite French, and we
shall get one knife and fork each. There's a cinema on top, and billiards
underneath, and practically no officers go. A Belgian Captain I came out
with took me. He said you could 'eat well' there, and you can, for the
cooking is a treat. I swear it's all right."

"Lead on," said Julie; "we'll trust you," and she manoeuvred so that her
half-section was left with Donovan.

The four walked briskly through the dusk. "Don't you love France in the
evening?" demanded Julie.

"Yes," said Peter, but dubiously. "I don't know it much yet," he added.

"Oh, I do. Even a girl can almost do what she likes out here. I've had
some awful fun in Havre. I think one ought to take one's pleasure when
one has the chance, don't you? But some of these girls give me the hump;
they're so narrow. They can't see you with a man without imagining all
sorts of things, whereas I've had some rattling good pals among men out
here. Then they're so afraid of doing things--the girls, I mean. Do you
know I went to Paris when I came up here from Boulogne? Had absolutely
_the_ time. Of course, nobody knows, so don't speak of it--except Tommy,
of course."

"How did you do it?" demanded Peter, amused.

"Well, you see, I and another girl, English, were sent over by Boulogne,
as you know, because you saw us on the boat, and we were supposed to come
straight here. In the train we met a Canadian in the French Air Service,
and he put us wise about changing, and so on. But it appeared you have
to change at Amiens in the middle of the night, and he said the thing was
to sleep in the train and go right on to Paris. Then you got twenty-four
hours there, and left next day by the Havre express. The girl was
horribly scared, but I said we'd try it. Nothing happened at all. We had
a carriage to ourselves, and merely sat still at Amiens. When we got
to Paris we simply walked out, bold as brass. I showed our tickets at
Havre and told the French inspector we had overslept. He merely told us
the time to leave next day. We went to an hotel, and then strolled up the
Avenue d l'Opera. And what do you think? Who should I see but an old dear
of a General I knew out in South Africa who is in the French Red Cross.
He was simply delighted to see us. He motored us out to the Bois in the
afternoon, dined us, and took us to the theatre--only, by Jove! I did
curse that other girl. She was in a ferm