seemed always to be a wonderful light on the hills. A kind of short
grass grew on them, and it shone in the sun at evening. There were
black woods above them. A man used to come out of them singing at
evening.''

He looked wearily round at the brown desolation of weeds. As far as
the two officers could see there was nothing but brown weeds and bits
of brown barbed wire. He turned from the desolate scene back to his
reminiscences.

``He came singing through the orchards into the village,'' he said.
``A quaint old place with queer gables, called Ville-en-Bois.''

``Do you know where we are?'' said the other.

``No, said the platoon commander.''

``I thought not,'' he said. ``Hadn't you better take a look at the
map?''

``I suppose so,'' said the platoon commander, and he smoothed out his
map and wearily got to the business of finding out where he was.

``Good Lord!'' he said. ``Ville-en-Bois!''

Spring in England and Flanders

Very soon the earliest primroses will be coming out in woods wherever
they have been sheltered from the north. They will grow bolder as the
days go by, and spread and come all down the slopes of sunny hills.