roke or two. Then
afterwards we had a cold plunge in a very big one. It was simply
delicious and cost us nothing. One of the best baths I have ever had.
I had one bath to myself and Bill Fiddian the other. Then we went to
dinner and enjoyed ourselves muchly. Soup, veal, chicken, coffee, all
for 3/9 or rather five francs--a franc equals about 9d now, as English
credit is very good--and then home to bed.

To-night the machine guns seem rather busy. I have just heard one let
off a few hundred rounds, but I don't think one round in a thousand
hits a man. There is one busy popping off now. It is funny being a
sort of spectator. Things are pretty quiet really at present, as I saw
in a captured German letter from a German soldier to his mother. "In
the spring the curtain will rise"--I wonder who will pull the string.
They are noisy to-night, a lot of waste of ammunition, both rifle and
machine guns going on. It is a calm night so the noise carried.

Well, good-night, Mother,

Much love to all,
From your loving Son,
ALEC.

There they go: rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat, a machine gun.

11TH SUFFOLKS,
B.E.F., Saturday, January 29th.

My darling Mother,--

Do you send any of my letters on to Winnie? or anybody? After work
to-day we went into the town to have tea. After tea we met some of our
men and gave them some pay, pro. tem., as they have had no pay for two
weeks or so and were broke. Then I bought a Pearson's magazine (price
1s.) and we started for home and got a lift on a 3-ton A.S.C. lorry,
from which I dropped the magazine, unfortunately. I am billeted in an
estaminet by myself, and Bill Fiddian is with two other officers on
the same course in another estaminet in a large room with three beds,
out of which all the bedrooms open. Grandma groans in one small room,
Monsieur and Madame and about two dozen others in another small room
and two officers in two other small rooms. Grandma has just gone to
bed; she has attained to the small total of 97 years and seems able to
look after herself. We have just been having a long talk with Madame,
who brought us up our dinner, an omelette and coffee. We have been
reading and talking, and on Monday we shall return to the battalion.
The big candle you sent me