ng to all night expecting an attack which didn't come off; but
some mines had been exploded meant for their trench, but luckily they
were ten yards out in their calculations, and they only got smothered
instead of blown to bits. And they were sticking all this while we were
snoring in our horrible, warm, soft beds only a few miles away. We went
on past some of the famous brick stacks through the funny little village
full of billets to the church, where le Salut was going on. We passed a
dressing station of No.-- Field Ambulance. The grandmere had two
sergeants billeted with her who seemed pleased to have a friendly chat.
Some of the men I said good-night to were so surprised (not knowing our
grey coat and hat), I heard them say to each other "English!" Marie
Therese simply adores the _Anglais_--they are so _gais_, such _bon
courage_, they laugh always and sing--and they have "_beaucoup de
fiancees francaises pour passer le temps_!" She told me they had
yesterday a boy of eighteen who was always _triste_, but _bien poli_,
and he knows six languages and comes from the University of London. When
he left for the trenches he said, "_Je vais a la mort_," but he has
promised to come and see them on Saturday or Sunday, "_s'il n'est pas
mort, ou blesse_," she said, as an afterthought. Her own young man is _a
la Guerre_, and she is making her trousseau. They do beautiful
embroidery on linen.

I was pretty tired when we got back at 8 o'clock, as it was a good
five-mile walk, part of the way on fiendish cobble-stones, and we are on
our feet all day at the Dressing Station. But I am very fit, and all the
better for the excellent fresh food we have here. No more tins of
anything, thank goodness!

_Thursday, April 8th._--Talking of billets, a General and his Staff are
coming to this Chateau to-morrow and we three have got to turn out,
possibly to a house opposite on the same square, which is empty. We live
in terror of unknown Powers-that-Be suddenly sending us down. The C.O.
and every one here are very keen that we should be as comfortably
billeted as possible. He said to-day, "Later on you may get an awful
place to live in." Of course we are aiming at becoming quite
indispensable! If you can once get your Medical Officers to depend on
you for having everything they want at hand, and for making the patients
happy and contented, and the orderlies in good order, they soon get to
think they can't do without you.

There are two nice