INTERIOR
this one about the house, always willing to lend a
hand. Fred, help me lift Papa up so we can put his
cushions straight/
'Yes, Maman,' said the young corporal, leaving
his letter.
'Do you understand one another?51 asked her.
'Only by signs/ she said, 'but Fm teaching him
a few words here and there. Ah, these wars, we're
used to them here. Six hundred years my husband
and his family have been in this house. You see that
hole in the ceiling. . . . That was a bullet fired by an
Austrian in the time of the Emperor. He was
cleaning his rifle/
The invalid nodded,
'Yes,' he said, 'my grandfather used to tell the
story/
'And the sideboard, Monsieur, was his grand-
mother's. It has always been in the family. And
it's not the first time we've had the English here
either. But this one is especially nice, aren't you,
Fred?'
Fred, who had gone back to his letter, raised his
head and said:
'Yes, Maman,' without having understood a
word.
The old woman smiled maternally.
And I blessed that in human nature which could
recreate in the midst of the tempest this tiny
paradise, warm and kind.
57