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-6I-

that the Signora must come at once to the refuge, for in our turn, we were being illuminated by hundreds of floating coloured lights sent down from aeroplanes. The effect in the garden was startling, the unholy brightness made by what seemed to be great swaying moons gave a nightmare quality to familiar scenes. The attack began at once and seemed actually upon us, for the noise of crashing bombs echoed loudly through the valley. Our witch maid stood outside apparently in her element and we could hear her maniacal cries. Antonio stood by holding a pick-axe. N. kept looking at me as much as to say: 'You see what we have come to!' It was a moment for silence but whenever the noise subsided even for a moment the Signora Sfollata would talk in spite of the Professor's protestations. She insisted on acquainting us with the last words spoken by famous people on their death-bed. So we learnt that when La Pompadour was on the verge of death, everyone left the room! the curé was about to do likewise when the dying lady said:'Attendez-moi, Monsieur le Curé,nous pourrons sortir ensemble.' Then those last characteristic words of Fontenelle:'J'éprouve une difficulté d'être.' Suchwise during the intervals of crashing bombs we were served with one of those funereal tit-bits. At the end when the bombing has eased entirely, the Professor harked back (he always harks back) to his own favourite subject 'Bruno'. He had been brought up in an atmosphere of Bruno worship, his uncle having written