THE BATTLE OF FRANCE
Nth Division. Mr. W------, who was there, will tell
you the story/
W------got up and, amongst other things, told
how the King had stopped in front of a soldier and
said:
'Didn't I decorate you the other day in London
for an act of bravery?' Which was found to be
correct and called forth long commentaries on the
prodigious memory of the Royal Family.
The account continued . . . machine-guns . . .
artillery ... the speech of welcome made by the
Mayor of a French village . . . pill-boxes the King
inspected . . . lunch. . . .
'Before the King arrived, we went into the inn
where His Majesty was to lunch. It was kept by a
rather pretty woman of about thirty-five, whose sick
child was being attended by an English army doctor.
When she learned she was going to receive the King,
she went into the nearest town for flowers, which
she presented to him very gracefully/
'What sort of flowers?'
'Red carnations/
'What was the menu?'
'Chicken Pie, Christmas Pudding, Cheese. The
sergeant who waited at the lunch told me afterwards
that the King refused the pudding. After the escort
had left, we asked "Madame" for her impressions of
the Kang. She said he was very nice and "un-
assuming"/
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