* * *

Early in September he made up his mind to go back to Flanders, although
his airplane was not yet entirely repaired. The day before leaving he
was standing at the door of the Hotel Edouard VII when one of his
schoolmates at the College Stanislas, Lieutenant Jacquemin, appeared.
"He took me to his room," this officer relates, "and we talked for more
than an hour about schooldays. I asked him whether he had some special
dodge to be so successful." "None whatever," he said, "but you remember
I took a prize for shooting at Stanislas. I shoot straight, and have
absolute confidence in my machine." He showed me his numberless
decorations, and was just as simple and full of good fellowship as he
was at Stanislas. It was evident that his head had not been in the least
turned by his success; he only talked more and enjoyed describing his
fights. He told me, too, that in spite of opposition from airplane
builders he had secured a long-contemplated improvement; and that he had
had a special camera made for him with which he could photograph a
machine as it fell. His parting words were: "I hope to fly to-morrow,
but don't expect to see my name any more in the _communiques_. That's
all over: I have bagged my fifty Boches."

Were not these strange words, if indeed Guynemer attached any meaning to
them? At all events, they expressed his innermost longing, which was to
go on flying, even if he should fly for nothing.

* * * * *

Before reporting at Dunkirk, Guynemer spent September 2, 3, and 4 with
his people at Compiegne. Never was he more fascinatingly affectionate,
boyish, and bright than during those three days. But he seemed agitated.
"Let us make plans," he said repeatedly, in spite of his old aversion to
castle-building. His plans that day were for the amusement of his
sisters. He reminded the younger, Yvonne, that he had quarreled once
with her. It was at Biarritz, when he wanted her to make a _novena_
(nine days' special prayers) that he might not be rejected by the
recruiting board again; his sister did not like to promise, and he had
threatened to sulk forever, which he had proceeded to do--for five
minutes.

His mother and sisters thought him more enchanting than ever, but his
father felt that he was overstrained, and realized that his almost
morbid notion of his duty as a chaser who could no longer wait for his
chance but wanted to force a victory, was the result of fat