present, but we were a little startled to see the
brilliant green that appeared. Someone unkindly suggested that he could
get rid of it in no other way.

When at last they were finished we received orders to take up our new
quarters, but, funnily enough, we had become so attached to our tents by
that time that we were very loath to do so. A fatigue party however
arrived one day to take the tents down, so there was nothing for it.
Many of the workmen were most obliging and did a lot of odd jobs for us.
I rescued one of the Red Cross beds instead of the camp one I had had
heretofore--the advantage was that it had springs--but there was only
the mattress part, and so it had to be supported on two petrol cases for
legs! The disadvantage of this was that as often as not one end slipped
off in the night and you were propelled on to the floor, or else two
opposite corners held and the other two see-sawed in mid-air. Both great
aids to nightmares.

"Tuppence" did not take at all kindly to the new order of things; he
missed chasing the mice that used to live under the tent boards and
other minor attractions of the sort.

The draughtiness and civilization of the new huts compared with the
"fug" of the tents all combined to give us chills! I had a specially bad
one, and managed with great skill to wangle a fortnight's sick leave in
Paris.

The journey had not increased much in speed since my last visit, but
everything in Paris itself had assumed a much more normal aspect. The
bridge over the Oise had long since been repaired, and hardly a shop
remained closed. I went to see my old friend M. Jollivet at Neuilly, and
had the same little English mare to ride in the Bois, and also visited
many of the friends I had made during my first leave there.

I got some wonderful French grey Ripolin sort of stuff from a little
shop in the "Boul' Mich" with which to tone down the violent green in my
hut, that had almost driven me mad while I lay ill in bed.

The Convoy was gradually being enlarged, and a great many new drivers
came out from England just after I got back. McLaughlan gave me a great
welcome when I went for the washing that afternoon. "It's good to see
you back, Miss," he said, "the driver they put on the lorry was very
slow and cautious--you know the 'en we always try to catch? Would you
believe it we slowed down to walking pace so as to _miss_ 'er!" and he
sniffed disgustedly.

The news of the battle of Jutland fell like a