With forty other first citizens, from the 4th to the 12th of September he had been in jail.

After such an experience one would have thought that between himself and the Germans he would have placed as many miles as possible, but instead he was strolling around the Place du Parvis Notre-Dame, in front of the cathedral.

For the French officers who, on sightseeing bent, were motoring into Rheims from the battle line he was acting as a sort of guide.

Pointing with his umbrella, he would say: "On the left is the new Palace of Justice, the facade entirely destroyed; on the right you see the palace of the archbishop, completely wrecked.

The shells that just passed over us have apparently fallen in the garden of the Hotel Lion d'Or." He was as cool as the conductor on a "Seeing Rheims" observation-car.
He was matched in coolness by our consul, William Bardel.