He said that he was sorry. Then he took note of her appearance. 'You have made yourself look shabby to come with me, mademoiselle,' he said. That is a very kind thing to have done.'
She said: 'Marie, the servant, lent me this dress.'
She wore a very plain, black dress to her ankles, without adornment of any kind. On her feet she wore low-heeled, clumsy shoes and coarse black stockings.
Madame Rougeron came in and put down her basket on the table in the salon. There is a train for Rennes at noon,' she said unemotionally. There is a German soldier at the guichet who asks why you must travel, but they do not look at papers. They are very courteous and correct.' She paused. 'But there is another thing.'
She took from the pocket of her gown a folded handbill. 'A German soldier left this paper with the concierge this morning. There was one for each apartment.'
They spread it out on the table. It was in French, and it read: CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC!
The treacherous English, who have forced this unnecessary war on us, have been driven into disorderly flight from our country. Now is the time to rise and root out these plutocratic warmongers wherever they may be hiding, before they have time to plot fresh trouble for France.
These scoundrels who are roaming the country and living in secret in our homes like disgusting parasites, will commit acts of sabotage and espionage and make trouble for all of us with the Germans, who are only anxious to build up a peaceful regime in our country. If these cowardly fugitives should commit such acts, the Germans will keep our fathers, our husbands, and our sons in long captivity. Help to bring back your men by driving out these pests!
It is your duty if you know of an Englishman in hiding to tell the gendarmerie, or tell the nearest German soldier. This is a simple thing that anyone can do, which will bring peace and freedom to our beloved land.
Severe penalties await those who shield these rats.
VIVE LA FRANCE!
Howard read it through quietly twice. Then he said: 'It seems that I am one of the rats, madame. After this, I think it would be better that I should go alone, with the children.'
She said that it was not to be thought of. And then she said, Nicole would never agree.
The girl said: That is very true. It would be impossible for you to go alone, as things are now. I do not think you would get very far before the Germans found that you were not a Frenchman, even in those clothes.' She flipped the paper with disgust. This is a German thing,' she said. 'You must not think that French people talk like this, Monsieur Howard.'
'It is very nearly the truth,' he said ruefully.
'It is an enormous lie,' she said.
She went out of the room. The old man, grasping the opportunity, turned to her mother. 'Your daughter has changed greatly since we were at Cidoton, madame,' he said.
The woman looked at him. 'She has suffered a great deal, monsieur.'
He said: 'I am most sorry to hear that. If you could tell me something about it - perhaps I could avoid hurling her in conversation.'
She stared at him. 'You do not know, then?'
'How should I know anything about her trouble, madame?' he said gently. 'It is something that has happened since we met at Cidoton.'
She hesitated for a minute. Then she said: 'She was in love with a young man. We did not arrange the affair and she tells me nothing.'
'All young people are like that,' he said, quietly. 'My son was the same. The young man is a prisoner in German hands, perhaps?'
Madame said: 'No, monsieur. He is dead.'
Nicole came bursting into the room, a little fibre case in her hand. 'This we will carry in your perambulator,' she said. 'Now, monsieur, I am ready to go.'
There was no time for any more conversation with Madame Rougeron, but Howard felt he had the gist of it; indeed, it was just what he had expected. It was hard on the girl, terribly hard; perhaps this journey, dangerous though it might be, would not be altogether a bad thing for her. It might distract her mind, serve as an anodyne.
There was a great bustle of getting under way. They all went downstairs; Madame Rougeron had many bundles of food, which they put in the perambulator. The children clustered round them and impeded them.
Ronnie said: 'Will we be going where there are tanks, Mr Howard?' He spoke in English. 'You said that I might go with the Germans for a ride.'
Howard said, in French: 'Not today. Try and talk French while Mademoiselle Rougeron is with us, Ronnie; it is not very nice to say what other people cannot understand.'
Rose said: That is very true, m'sieur. Often I have told Ronnie that it was not polite to speak in English.'
Madame Rougeron said to her daughter in a low tone: 'It is clever that.' The girl nodded.
Pierre said suddenly: 'I do not speak English, m'sieur.'
'No, Pierre,' the old man said. 'You are always polite.'
Sheila said: 'Is Willem polite, too?' She spoke in French.
Nicole said: 'All of you are polite, all tres bien eleves. Now we are quite ready.' She turned and kissed her mother.
'Do not fret,' she said gently. 'Five days - perhaps a week, and I will be home again. Be happy for me, Maman.'
The old woman stood trembling, suddenly aged. 'Prenez bien garde,' she said tremulously. 'These Germans - they are wicked, cruel people.'
The girl said gently: 'Be tranquil. I shall come to no harm.' She turned to Howard. 'En route, donc, Monsieur Howard,' she said. 'It is time for us to go.'
They left the apartment and started down the street, Howard pushing the loaded pram and Nicole shepherding the children. She had produced a rather shabby black Homburg hat for the old man, and this, with his grey suit and brown canvas shoes, made hun look very French. They went slowly for the sake of the children; the girl strolled beside him with a shawl over her shoulders.
Presently she said: 'Give me the pram, monsieur. That is more fitting for a woman to push, in the class that we represent.'
He surrendered it to her; they must play up to their disguise. 'When we come to the station,' she said, 'say nothing at all. I will do all the talking. Do you think you could behave as a much older man? As one who could hardly talk at all?'
He said: 'I would do my best. You want me to behave as a very old man indeed.'
She nodded. 'We have come from Arras,' she said. 'You are my uncle, you understand? Our house in Arras was destroyed by the British. You have a brother, my other uncle, who lives in Landerneau.'
'Landerneau,' he said. 'Where is that, mademoiselle?'
She said: 'It is a little country town twenty kilometres this side of Brest, monsieur. If we can get there we can then walk to the coast. And it is inland, forty kilometres from the sea. I think they may allow us to go there, when it would be impossible for us to travel directly to the coast.'
They approached the station. 'Stay with the children,' she said quietly. 'If anyone asks you anything, be very stupid.'
The approach to the station was crowded with German transport lorries; German officers and soldiers thronged around. It was clear that a considerable detachment of troops had just arrived by train; apart from them the station was crowded with refugees. Nicole pushed the pram through into the booking-hall, followed by Howard and the children. The old man, mindful of his part, walked with a shambling tread; his mouth hung open a little, and his head shook rhythmically.