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TO BAPAUME 303
that Germany, by her astounding offensive power, had been
able to swamp Belgium and part of north-eastern France, did
not signify so very much after all. The fortune of war would
soon turn, and change in favour of France. " We shall see !
We shall see !
" he said over and over again.
I tried to explain to him the position in the eastern theatre
of war and told him of Hindenburg’s victories, of the great
calmness which reigned in Germany, and of the Russians’
" march to Berlin," which General Rennenkampf had promised
but of which nothing had been seen so far. It had not been
beneficial for France, I said, to invest thousands upon thou-
sands of millions of francs in a country whose aid failed just
at the moment when it was most needed. If I did not admire
France and love her intelligent, industrious, thrifty and
patriotic people I might have rejoiced at a diplomacy which
had brought about such calamities as the present ; as it was,
I was grieved at a policy from which no good could ever come.
" Nous verrons—7ious verrons," M. Cossart replied, nodding
his head and smiling. But then it occurred to him that per-
haps he had said too much, and wondered whether the German
officers would take offence and cause him trouble if they got
to hear of it.
Certainly not, I assured him, he need not be afraid of that.
He might tell the German officers without fear that he blindly
trusted in the victory of the French arms and the eventual
retreat of the German hosts, without causing a single forehead
to frown in anger. Any German officer would honour such
speech and show his respect for a man who had fought for
his country in his younger days, and who still, in the autumn
of life, was cherishing great and glorious ideas concerning his
nation. " For you may say what you like of the Germans,
and look upon them, if you like, as your sworn enemies, yet
it is a fact that the Germans admire in others the qualities
which they cherish in their own people. Therefore the German
soldiers feel nothing but esteem for their French opponents ;
as regards General Joffre, the whole German army is unanimous
in thinking him a great and talented general." Among the
Germanic race, I told him, there is not a vestige of national
hatred of the French, nothing but good-will and sympathy.
And when I told him how sorry I was that the whole of his
people should suffer in consequence of a mistake which had
been made by a few responsible professional politicians, he
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