Laughing Torso

BACK TO PARIS AND CELEBRITIES
sat round them on small stools. The sailors always
drank beer out of half-pint bottles. We ordered
a round one evening. No glasses were provided
so the patronne produced fifteen bottles for fifteen
sailors, and they and we drank out of the bottles.
The sailors danced together and I danced with
Frank. We got on very well with them, especially
when I explained that I was " Galloise." This
was not strictly true, but I was certainly born in
Wales and could say, " Good health " in Welsh,
which pleased them, as it is the same as in the
Breton language. This reminded me of a story
that Cedric Morris told me. He is, of course,
Welsh and when he was quite young his family
sent him to France to learn French. Unfortun-
ately, they chose Brittany as a suitable spot for
his studies. When he got there he found that it
was quite unnecessary to learn French as everybody
understood Welsh and he returned to England
knowing as little French as when he started out!
In Douarnenez there was no sand or beach from
where we could bathe, but two miles along the
coast there was a wonderful beach with two or three
miles of hard sand. The sea was generally rough
with huge breakers. I could not swim and was
rather nervous. We were the only people on the
sea-shore and took our clothes off. Frank could
swim very well. The waves were much higher than
ourselves. They were about ten or twelve feet
high. Frank grabbed me round my middle aud
pushed me head first through the waves as they
approached us and just before they broke. I never