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of Tomalino's brother, brought in to be questioned, informed us with tears that they belonged to Tomalino, the much hated bully of the family.
All during this scene the artillery battle was raging and the noise terrific. The Major told us that he had not had three consecutive hours of sleep for months.
August 29th Yesterday afternoon and all last night there was no retaliating gun-fire. Comparative quiet, but this may signify nothing, for the Germans have a way of retrieving last positions. The Major came back to tell us that the younger of the two peasants is to be sent to the penitentiary for Carabinieri who have committed misdeeds. (He had been a Carabiniere under the Fascist régime) His young wife and child are to follow him. I think the Major was rather taken with the wife-a very good-looking blond woman. Tomalino is still in prison and the old father wishes to talk to the 'Signora', which of course I refused to do. We intend going to see Major X. the American lawyer, so as to arrange that this family be set free so soon as they have agreed to leaving not only my farm but Florence as well. If they remain in Florence they are quite capable of playing us some nasty tricks.

August 29th The farmer who was to replace our imprisoned peasants now refuses to come to us on the grounds that he fears the ruffians when they come out of prison. We do not blame him