w of us
perhaps will ever attain to a full measure of such faith; but at least
we can make sure that our "Christianity" brings us nearer to it.

XIII

IMAGINARY CONVERSATIONS

IV

_AU COIFFEUR_

SCENE. _A barber's shop in a small French town about thirty
miles from the front. A_ SUBALTERN _and a stout_ BOURGEOIS
_are waiting their turn_.

BOURGEOIS. Is it that it is the mud of the trenches on the boots of
Monsieur?

SUBALTERN. Ah! but no, Monsieur, for then it would reach to my waist!

BOURGEOIS. Nevertheless, Monsieur is but recently come from the
trenches, is it not so?

SUBALTERN. Yes, I am arrived from the trenches yesterday.

BOURGEOIS. Then Monsieur has assisted at the great attack!

SUBALTERN. Oh, yes, I helped a very little bit.

BOURGEOIS. There have been immense losses, is it not so?

SUBALTERN (_vaguely_). There are always great losses when one attacks.

BOURGEOIS. Ah! but much greater than one expected--I have seen, I, the
wounded coming down the river.

SUBALTERN. I--I have always expected great losses.

BOURGEOIS. 'Tis true. There are always great losses when one attacks.
But all goes well, Monsieur, is it not so?

SUBALTERN. It is difficult to estimate the success of an attack until
after several weeks. But I think that all goes well.

BOURGEOIS. But yes, the French, they have had a great success, and
also the English. The English are wonderful. Their equipment! It is
that which astonishes me. Everything is complete. They say that
the English have saved France; but the French also, they have saved
England, is it not so, Monsieur?

SUBALTERN. But we are saving each other!

BOURGEOIS. Good! We are saving each other! Very good! But after the
war, Monsieur, England will fight against France, _hein_?

SUBALTERN. Never!

BOURGEOIS. Never?

SUBALTERN. Never in life!

BOURGEOIS. You think so?

SUBALTERN. We do not love war. We do not seek war. It is only when a
nation is so execrable that one is compelled to fight, as have been
the Germans, that we make war.

BOURGEOIS. You do not love war, eh? Before the war you had a very
small Army, about three hundred thousand, is it not so? And now you
have about three million. You do not love war, you others.

SUBALTERN. The Germans thought that they loved war, but I do not
believe that they will love it very much longer!

BOURGEOIS. No! The war will give them the stomach-ache. They will love
it no longer!

COIFFE