hat Paris should cease to be
its political capital, and that the Parisians should not have a greater
share in moulding its future policy than they are numerically entitled
to.

CHAPTER XIV.

_December 18th._

Prisoners have before now endeavoured to while away their long hours of
captivity by watching spiders making their webs. I can understand this.
In the dreary monotony of this dreariest of sieges a spider would be an
event. But alas, the spider is outside, and we are the flies caught in
his toils. Never did time hang so heavily on human beings as it hangs on
us. Every day seems to have twice the usual number of hours. I have
ceased to wind up my watch for many a week. I got tired of looking at
it; and whether it is ten in the morning or two in the afternoon is much
the same to me; almost everyone has ceased to shave; they say that a
razor so near their throats would be too great a temptation. Some have
married to avoid active service, others to pass the time. "When I knew
that there was an army between my wife and myself," observed a cynic to
me yesterday, "I rejoiced, but even the society of my wife would be
better than this." There is a hideous old woman, like unto one of
Macbeth's witches, who makes my bed. I had a horrible feeling that some
day or other I should marry her, and I have been considerably relieved
by discovering that she has a husband and several olive branches. Here
is my day. In the morning the boots comes to call me. He announces the
number of deaths which have taken place in the hotel during the night.
If there are many he is pleased, as he considers it creditable to the
establishment. He then relieves his feelings by shaking his fist in the
direction of Versailles, and exit growling "Canaille de Bismarck." I get
up. I have breakfast--horse, _cafe au lait_--the _lait_ chalk and
water--the portion of horse about two square inches of the noble
quadruped. Then I buy a dozen newspapers, and after having read them,
discover that they contain nothing new. This brings me to about eleven
o'clock. Friends drop in, or I drop in on friends. We discuss how long
it is to last--if friends are French we agree that we are sublime. At
one o'clock get into the circular railroad, and go to one or other of
the city gates. After a discussion with the National Guards on duty,
pass through. Potter about for a couple of hours at the outposts; try
with glass to make out Prussians; look at bombs bursting; cree