Some infantry, I think they were Landwehr, on guard here to-day, were
quite distressed at the sight of weeping women and children. Later in
the day a little deputation of them waited upon me at the inn. “Would
you please go round the village, Fräulein,” they said, “and tell the
women and children that we mean them no harm? Have we not wives and
children too?” One of them opened his wallet or pocket-book and showed
me the photo of a pretty curly-headed German child. Needless to say, I
did go round and reassure the people. The result was that the Landwehr
were the richer that evening by the peasants’ last pots of appetising
home-made jam.
I have to go into the bar and translate in my bad German for the
soldiers. Yesterday some of the Uhlans’ horses, picketed in the village
street, put their heads through a front window of the inn. I was called
in by both sides to assess the damage. It was rather embarrassing,
especially as I had to make out the account in greasy German coin! The
Uhlans paid up at once, as usual, but the tender-hearted hotel-keeper
refused to ask anything approaching the value of the window. The
soldiers are annoyed with me sometimes for not being able to procure
them special kinds of German beer. Cognac is the drink they love, but
the officers have particularly ordered they shall not be served with it.
This business of barter and exchange is often very trying. I had a
terrible transaction to-day with a Prussian non-commissioned officer
over a box of cigars. It nearly turned my hair grey! We ultimately sold
it him for a franc. Anyway, I feel proud to have done my share towards
the annihilation of the enemy. A few drops of Prussic acid would have
been wholesome by comparison!