While Marie brushed out the long, rich, copper hair the two chattered unceasingly of France and the Army of steel-hearted poilus which held the frontiers of civilisation away yonder in Picardy, Artois, Champagne, and the Vosges.

In vain they raised their voices and exhausted all the resources of French rhetoric, the "poilus" only shrugged their shoulders.

THE poilus of France on the Western Front are brave as brave can be, Whether they hail from rich Provence or from ruined Picardie; It's the self-same heart from the lazy Loire and the busy banks of Seine, Undaunted by perpetual mud or cold or gas or pain; And all are as gay as men know how whose wealth and friends are gone, But the gayest of all is a little white dog that came from Carcassonne.

As Thomas and I stood on the platform, loving each other silently and unostentatiously, a cheery musical train of poilus laboured into the station.

Between the poilus and the crowd it was "Long live Italy!"

But between the poilus and ourselves there were no signs of any desire that England or France might endure another day.

"Bonjour, les poilus!" This from the Commandant himself, with jollity.

The soldier priests of France have earned the love and respect of even the most irreligious of the Poilus.

Devotion To Animals In one small cantonment where two hundred Poilus sang, shouted, ate, drank and danced together to the strain of a wheezy gramophone, or in one word were "resting," I started to investigate the various kinds of pets owned by the troopers.

He has established a series of schools all along the French Front, where the Poilus learn to bedeck their guns and thoroughly disguise them under delicate shades of green and yellow, with odd pink spots, in order to relieve the monotony.

For one real battery there are probably three or four false ones, beautiful wooden guns, etc., etc., and he told us of the Poilus' new version of the song "Rien n'est plus beau que notre Patrie" ("Nothing is more beautiful than our country").

The principal grief of the Poilus appeared to be that a shell two or three days before had destroyed the store of the great "dragee" (sugared almond) manufactory of Verdun.

"When they read 'Gott strafe England' all they needed to reply was 'Ypres, Ypres, Hurrah!'" Poilu And Tommy He informed me that he had been stationed for some time with his regiment near the English troops, and there had been loud lamentations among the Poilus because they had been obliged to say good-bye to their English comrades.

" It was suggested that as I had had a touch of toothache the night before, I might take my place in the chair and give an example of British pluck to the assembled "Poilus."

French poilus were in the hall, crippled or convalescent, after their day of battle, and with their women around them they stood at attention while the national hymn was sung.

The love of women and of all those people who had not been called upon to fight went out to those poilus at the front, in waves of emotion which reached as far as the advanced trenches.

Henriette, and yesterday she had a letter from him, which she lets me translate for you, because it will give you some idea of the battle, of the spirit of the poilus, and also because it contains a bit of news and answers a question you asked me several weeks ago, after the first use of gas attacks in the north.

Here, among the civilians, they say: "Verdun will never fall," and out at the front, they tell us that the poilus simply hiss through their clenched teeth, as they fight and fall, "They shall not pass."

Behind the reserved seats are a few benches for the captains and lieutenants and the rest of the space is given up to the poilus, who are allowed to rush when the doors are opened.

The entire programme is given by the poilus; only one performer had a stripe on his sleeve, though many of them wore a decoration.

They even have artists among the poilus to paint back drops and make properties.

"They charged out of the woods, and we had a battalion of reserves here are some of themmes poilus!" He turned affectionately to the bearded fellows in scarfs who had come out of the shelter.

It was all very simple to mes poilus, that first fight.

" They knew, these poilus, these veterans.

It seemed to me that life ought to have been utterly dull for this characteristic group of poilus, living crowded together all winter in a remote village.