the closing of Lamarck, and
a convoy was formed with the Gare Centrale as its headquarters, and so
released the men drivers for the line. The hospital staff and equipment
moved to Epernay, where a hospital was opened for the French in an old
Monastery and also a convoy of F.A.N.Y. ambulances and cars was
attached, so that now we had units working for the British, French, and
Belgians. Another unit was the one down at Camp de Ruchard, where
Crockett so ably ran a canteen for 700 convalescent Belgian soldiers,
while Lady Baird, with a trained nurse, looked after the consumptives,
of whom there were several hundreds. It will thus be seen that the
F.A.N.Y. was essentially an "active service" Corps with no units in
England at all.

I had a splendid leave, which passed all too quickly, and oddly enough
before I left home I had a sort of premonition that something was going
to happen; so much so that I even left an envelope with instructions of
what I wanted done with such worldly goods as I possessed. I felt that
in making such arrangements I might possibly avert any impending
catastrophe!

Heasy was on leave as well, and the day we were due to go back was a
Sunday. The train was to leave Charing Cross at four, which meant that
we would not embark till seven or thereabouts. It was wet and blustery,
and I did not relish the idea of crossing in the dark at all, and could
not help laughing at myself for being so funky. I had somehow quite made
up my mind we were going to be torpedoed. The people I was staying with
ragged me hard about it. It was the 5th of November, too! As I stepped
out of the taxi at Charing Cross and handed my kit to the porter, he
asked: "Boat train, Miss?" I nodded. "Been cancelled owin' to storm," he
said cheerfully. I leapt out, and I think I shook him by the hand in my
joy. France is all right when you get there; but the day you return is
like going back to school. The next minute I saw Heasy's beaming face,
and we were all over each other at the prospect of an extra day. My old
godfather, who had come to see me off, was the funniest of all--a
peppery Indian edition. "Not going?" he exclaimed, "I never heard of
such a thing! In my day there was not all this chopping and changing." I
pointed out that he might at least express his joy that I was to be at
home another day, and fuming and spluttering we returned to the D's.
It's rather an anti-climax, after saying good-bye and receiving
everyone's blessin