That night was worse than the first, the forage-wagons had come! The
drinking began. After I had served many samovars of tea, if you could
call it so, half a cup of rum and a little tea, in and out, in and out
from the children to the table, the officer whose mother's blood he
wished to wash away, had sufficient decency to say I was tired and
should be left undisturbedly with the children. That second night was
as the first, only Stas also began to rave, talking in that curious
dragging, almost lilting, tone,--one who has heard does not forget that
dread sign!
Going from one little bed to the other, placing compresses, wetting the
lips so cruelly dry, changing the sheets,--while in the next room those
men caroused! It was only God's mercy kept me sane. Afraid to put on a
dressing-gown, I remained as I was.
About five o'clock there was a great rushing about. Fresh troops were
ordered to Augustowo. Many from our house were leaving. The staff
remained, but my acquaintance of the night before was off. He came
at that hour to wish me good-bye, showing me the picture of his wife
and little daughter, telling me how "brilliantly" the child was going
through the teething process! A gallant figure he was, mounted on a
beautiful horse, as I looked out of the window, thinking sadly what
those new troops meant.
That morning a Jew came to tell me he had some bread. By paying him
well he gave me quite a quantity. Our supplies were getting low. The
officers' mess had come, which served them with meat--but there was
still much for me to provide, and it was only the third day!
The house was much quieter that morning, so that the sound of the
little voices carried into the sitting-room. Every once in awhile
Stas would shriek horribly, frightening me even more; but as a rule,
during the day, they lay, constantly moving hands and head, talking
incessantly, not recognizing me, and not sleeping. I should have
given them milk, but there was none,--the only thing I had was tea or
coffee--both rapidly disappearing.
The weather was very bad, snowing, the icy kind, which hurts one's
face; it seemed to fit in with the other misery.
The officers were gay at dinner. They told me that day about the
amiable project to surround Great Britain with submarines, that no atom
of food might reach her shores. How in a few days the blockade was to
begin, every ship was to be torpedoed! England through starvation was
to be brought to her knees, the Germans were to be the lords of the
universe, etc., etc. What a picture was drawn for me! Hard to keep
one's balance and think the other side would also have a word to say in
such a matter, not sitting idly by while the Germans put the world into
their idea of order!
Shortly after dinner they all went away, leaving only the orderlies, to
watch things. The two belonging to the Captain were very unpleasant.
I could not bear them about, especially Max. Fritz was brutal and
stupid--Max was cruel and not stupid! About my usual work, and trying
to amuse Wanda girl, we all suddenly stopped still, breathless at
sounds from the street! Wanda cried out:
"Oh, Mammy, _our_ soldiers have come back--I hear their voices."