Viewing page 135 of 150

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

- I32 -

great wave that was to roll over us? 'We shall come out all right,and what is more, find ourselves on the side with the Allies,' he prognosticated. Now, we have indeed come to the surface, somewhat dishevelled to be sure, but D.di D. has emerged in the form of a hungry wolf with a snarl. 'He paints no longer and threatens to commit suicide.' bewails [[strikethrough]] l [[/strikethrough]] the Countess.

September 30th We climbed up the hill to see the Baroness for the first time since the guns have ceased firing. She had [[strikethrough]] even [[/strikethrough]] been even nearer the cannons than we, since seventeen of these were set up in her garden. The house was very solidly built, withstood the concussions, but this was not the case with another and more beautiful house on the road to her villa. Yesterday the guardian who was standing by the door, offered to show us the ruined interior of the old place. The owners had left behind them a valuable collection of Chinese furniture all of which were either smashed by bombs or stolen. I asked the guardian for news of the dog 'Savey', whom we were in the habit of calling whenever we passed this house, He was a splendid dog with a long coat of grey hair. Behind the bars of an iron balcony projecting high from the walls and half covered with trailers, he would appear first wagging his tail, then with piteous howls would tell us of his sorrow: the beloved master and mistress he was waiting for but who never returned. As the years passed he grew thinner and thinner and then lost his beautiful hair. 'Savey is dead', said the caretaker, 'he was