air to these establishments, and by eight o'clock in
the evening most of them put up their shutters.

The National Guard were being reorganized. From each battalion, three or
four hundred of the most able-bodied, for the most part unmarried, men,
had by order of the Government, been selected and formed into companies
for service in the field, and these promised in a short time to develop
into troops equal in physique and spirit to the mobiles, and vastly
superior to the line.

Ladies no longer appeared in the streets in rich dresses. It was felt
that these were out of place now, and all adornments had been rigidly
given up, and the women of the better class set the example of dressing
in the simplest of costumes and the quietest of colors. Great numbers
had devoted themselves to the services of the hospitals and ambulances,
and spent the whole of their time in ministering to the sick and
wounded.

As yet there was little real suffering in Paris, and the privations and
inconveniences were borne uncomplainingly, and even cheerfully. Beef had
become almost unobtainable, but it was agreed that horse-flesh was not a
bad substitute; cats and dogs were fast disappearing from the streets,
and their flesh, prepared in a variety of ways, took the place on the
cards of the restaurants of hares and game, and the change was hardly
noticed.

Cuthbert was working hard. The school was now definitely closed, but
those who liked to do so were free to work there when they chose. M.
Goude had taken advantage of the cessation of lessons to paint on his
own account, and was engaged upon a large canvas which he announced was
intended for the Salon.

"All this," he said, "has wiped away old quarrels. If I were fit for it
I would do as so many of the artists of Paris have done--take my place
in the ranks--but I am past the age for marching and sleeping in
ditches; but I can entertain no further anger against men who are
fighting for France. It is the duty of those who cannot fight to paint.
When the Salon opens we must show the world that, in spite of these
barbarians, France still holds her head high, and is at the head of
civilization."

Cuthbert, however, was not among the number of those who used the
painting-room. He had chosen his lodging so as to have a north light,
and kept his door closed from early morning until the light faded. An
ardor for work had seized him, and it was with reluctance that he put
aside his brush when the d