What the boy said to them was
shameful, judged even by our limited knowledge of French and the short
time we were within hearing of him.
Coming into the little town of La Gorgue we could see to our right a
chateau in quite pretentious gardens--a chateau in which the German
Crown Prince is said to have been staying when a British shell crashed
through the roof and made him move on the double quick. This town like
our own was intersected by a canal which was used both as a sewer and
source of water supply for washing purposes. The streets in this town
are dirty and ill kept; the stores uninteresting, and the houses
squalid; it ran into the next town of Estaires by the continuation of
the main street.
Canadian soldiers were everywhere in evidence, wandering along the
roads in the manner so characteristic of them. Canadians have never
been over fond of saluting officers, and have never quite accepted the
statement that it is the uniform of the representative of the King
they are called upon to salute--not the man.
The first story I heard was about a chauffeur I had had in Valcartier.
He had been standing at the doorway of a store trying to talk to a
French girl when a couple of British officers passed. The man did not
see them till they were just going by and drew himself up to a sort of
a half attention. The officers passed, halted, and came back.
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