I shall stay here till responsible persons take it
over and I shall resume possession of the _appartement_ that
belonged to my mother." Meantime, would Madame Trouessart engage a
few stout wenches to eke out the scanty hotel staff, most of which
being German had already commenced its flight back to the fatherland
with all the plunder it could carry off. The soldier-ex-hotel-waiter
was provisionally engaged to remain, as long as the Belgian
Government allowed him, and three stalwart British soldiers, until
the day before prisoners-of-war, were enlisted in her service and
armed with revolvers to repel any ordinary act of brigandage.
By the end of November she had the Hotel Edouard-Sept--with the
old name restored--running smoothly and ready for the new
guests--British, French officers and civilians who would follow
the King of the Belgians on his return to his capital. The
re-established Belgian authorities soon put her into possession of
the Villa Beau-sejour. The German sergeant-major here had kept faith
with her, and in return for handing over everything intact,
including the herd of cows, received a _douceur_ which amply
rewarded him for this belated honesty before he, too, set his face
towards Germany with the rest of the evacuating army. The motor-car
she had bought enabled her to fetch supplies of food from farm to
hotel and to perform many little services to Belgians who were
returning to their old homes.
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