182#He gave them the address of a midwife in the town and told them to say that

they had come from her. The midwife gave them some medicine. It made

Annette so ill that she thought she was going to die, but it had no further effect.

Annette was still pregnant.

That was the story that Madame Périer told Hans. For a while he was silent.

‘It’s Sunday tomorrow,’ he said then. ‘I shall have nothing to do. I’ll come

and we’ll talk. I’ll bring something nice.’

‘We have no needles. Can you bring some?’

‘I’ll try.’

She hoisted the bundle of sticks on her back and trudged down the road.

Hans went back to Soissons. He dared not use his motor–cycle, so next day he

hired a push–bike. He tied his parcel of food on the carrier. It was a larger

parcel than usual because he had put a bottle of champagne into it. He got to

the farm when the gathering darkness made it certain that they would all be

home from work. It was warm and cosy in the kitchen when he walked in.

Madame Périer was cooking and her husband was reading a Paris–Soir.

Annette was darning stockings.

‘Look, I’ve brought you some needles,’ he said, as he undid his parcel. ‘And

here’s some material for you, Annette.’

‘I don’t want it.’

‘Don’t you?’ he grinned. ‘You’ll have to begin making things for the baby.’

‘That’s true, Annette,’ said her mother, ‘and we have nothing.’ Annette did not

look up from her sewing. Madame Périer’s greedy eyes ran over the contents of

the parcel. ‘A bottle of champagne.’

Hans chuckled.

‘I’ll tell you what that’s for presently. I’ve had an idea.’ He hesitated for a

moment, then drew up a chair and sat down facing Annette. ‘I don’t know quite

how to begin. I’m sorry for what I did that night, Annette. It wasn’t my fault, it

was the circumstances. Can’t you forgive me?’

She threw him a look of hatred.

‘Never. Why don’t you leave me alone? Isn’t it enough that you’ve ruined my

life?’

‘Well, that’s just it. Perhaps I haven’t. When I knew you were going to have a

baby it had a funny effect on me. It’s all different now. It’s made me so proud.’

‘Proud?’ she flung at him viciously.

‘I want you to have the baby, Annette. I’m glad you couldn’t get rid of it.’

‘How dare you say that?’

‘But listen to me. I’ve been thinking of nothing else since I knew. The war will

be over in six months. We shall bring the English to their knees in the spring.

They haven’t got a chance. And then I shall be demobilized and I’ll marry you.’

‘You? Why?’

He blushed under his tan. He could not bring himself to say it in French, so

he said it in German. He knew she understood it.

‘Ich liebe dich.’

‘What does he say?’ asked Madame Périer.

‘He says he loves me.’

Annette threw back her head and broke into a peal of harsh laughter. She

laughed louder and louder and she couldn’t stop and tears streamed from her

eyes. Madame Périer slapped her sharply on both cheeks.

‘Don’t pay any attention,’ she said to Hans. ‘It’s hysteria. Her condition, you

know.’