ce between the
two hospitals is that the one for the men has French Sisters, with
R.A.M.C. orderlies and M.O.'s, and the other for officers has English
Sisters, with R.A.M.C. orderlies and M.O.'s. There are forty-seven beds
here (all officers). One Army Sister in charge, myself next, and two
staff nurses--one on night duty. There are two floors; I shall have
charge of the top floor.

We are billeted out, but I believe mess in the hospital.

All this belongs to the French Red Cross, and is lent to us.

The surgical outfit is much more primitive even than on the train, as
F.A.'s may carry so little. The operating theatre is at the other
hospital.

As far as I can see at present we don't have the worst cases here,
except in a rush like Neuve Chapelle.

It will be funny to sleep in a comfortable French bed in an ordinary
bedroom again. It will be rather like Le Mans over again, with a billet
to live in, and officers to look after, but I shall miss the Jocks and
the others.

_Later._--Generals and "Red Hats" simply bristle around. A collection of
them has just been in visiting the sick officers. We had a big Good
Friday service at 11, and there is another at 6 P.M. The Bishop of
London is coming round to-day.

_Still Good Friday_, 10 P.M.--Who said Active Service? I am writing this
in a wonderful mahogany bed, with a red satin quilt, in a panelled room,
with the sort of furniture drawing-rooms have on the stage, and electric
light, and medallions and bronzes, and oil-paintings and old engravings,
and blue china and mirrors all about. It is a huge house like a Chateau,
on the Place, where Generals and officers are usually billeted. The fat
and smiling caretaker says she's had two hundred since the war. She
insisted on pouring eau-de-Cologne into my hot bath. It is really a
lovely house, with polished floors and huge tapestry pictures up the
staircase. And all this well within range of the German guns. After last
night, in the A.S.C officer's kind but musty little chilly second-class
carriage, it is somewhat of a change. And I hadn't had my clothes off
for three days and two nights. This billet is only for one night;
to-morrow I expect I shall be in some grubby little room near by. It has
taken the Town Commandant, the O.C. of No.-- F.A., a French interpreter,
and an R.H.A. officer and several N.C.O.'s and orderlies, to find me a
billet--the town is already packed tight, and they have to continue the
search to-morro