That is the great mistake about the affections. It is not the rise and fall of empires the birth and death of kings or the marching of armies that move them most. When they answer from their depths it is to the domestic joys and tragedies of life.

Gradually I became aware of details: a company of French soldiers was marching through the streets of the town. They broke formation and went in single file along the communication trench leading to the front line. Another group followed them.