seemed to think a group of us was safer. It was a point of view that
had not occurred to me, and I was not able to catch it. Still, I was
touched at her thoughtfulness, even though I had to say that I proposed
to stay right here. When she asked me what I proposed to do if the army
came retreating across my garden, I instinctively laughed. It seems so
impossible this time that the Germans can pass the frontier, and get by
Verdun and Toul. All the same, that other people were thinking it
possible rather brought me up standing. I just looked at the little
house I had arranged such a little time ago--I have only been here two
months.

She had come over feeling pretty glum--my dear neighbor from Voulangis.
She went away laughing. At the gate she said, "It looks less gloomy to
me than it did when I came. I felt such a brave thing driving over here
through a country preparing for war. I expected you to put a statue up
in your garden 'To a Brave Lady.'"

I stood in the road watching her drive away, and as I turned back to the
house it suddenly took on a very human sort of look. There passed
through my mind a sudden realization, that, according to my habit, I had
once again stuck my feet in the ground of a new home--and taken root.
It is a fact. I have often looked at people who seem to keep foot-free.
I never can. If I get pulled up violently by the roots, if I have my
earthly possessions pruned away, I always hurry as fast as I can, take
root in a new place, and proceed to sprout a new crop of possessions
which fix me there. I used, when I was younger, to envy people who
could just pack a bag and move on. I am afraid that I never envied them
enough to do as they did. If I had I should have done it. I find that
life is pretty logical. It is like chemical action--given certain
elements to begin with, contact with the fluids of Life give a certain
result. After all I fancy every one does about the best he can with the
gifts he has to do with. So I imagine we do what is natural to us; if
we have the gift of knowing what we want and wanting it hard enough we
get it. If we don't, we compromise.

I am closing this up rather hurriedly as one of the boys who joins his
regiment at Fontainebleau will mail it in Paris as he passes through. I
suppose you are glad that you got away before this came to pass.

VIII

August 10,1914.

I have your cable asking me to come "home" as you call it. Alas, my
hom