and very pleased. He had produced a sweet dish--I don't know
what with, as he didn't habitually have thirty extra people to
dinner--but I have always seen that when people _want_ to do anything it
is usually accomplished.

Our dinner was very pleasant. We were ten at table--W. and I, Henrietta,
and a niece. The men talked easily, some of them Parisians, knowing
every one. They knew that W. had remained at the chateau all during the
Franco-German War, and were much interested in all he told them of the
Prussian occupation. Only one of them had, as a very young fellow,
served in 1870. All the rest were too young, and, like all young
soldiers who have not been through a war and seen the horrors of it,
were rather anxious to have their chance, and not spend all the best
years of their lives in a small, dull garrison town.

We discussed the plans for the next day. They were going to have a sham
fight over all the big fields in our neighbourhood, and advised us to
come and see it. They said the best time would be about ten in the
morning, when they were to monter a l'assaut of a large farm with moat
and drawbridge near Dammarie. They were to make a very early start (four
o'clock), and said they would be very pleased to have some hot coffee
before mounting, if it could be had at that unearthly hour. They were
very anxious about choosing a horse out of their squadron for the
general, who was an infantryman, very stout, very rheumatic, and a very
bad rider. The horse must be sure-footed, an easy mouth, easy canter, no
tricks, accustomed to drum and bugle, to say nothing of the
musket-shots, etc.

Henrietta and I rather amused ourselves after dinner teaching the
commandant and another officer halma, which was just then at the height
of its popularity. We had brought it over from London, where the whole
society was mad over it. We were staying in a country house one year
where there were seven tables of halma in the long gallery. The
gentlemen rather disdained it at first, but as the game went on and they
began to realise that there was really some science in it, and that our
men were placing themselves very comfortably in their little squares,
while theirs were wandering aimlessly about the centre of the board,
they warmed to their task, and were quite vexed when they were badly
beaten. They wanted their revanche. W. came in and gave a word of advice
every now and then. The others finished their billiards, came to look
on, eac