They passed a good deal of German transport on the road.
From time to time lorries would come up behind them and they would pull in to the right to let them pass; the grey-faced, stolid soldiers staring at them incuriously.
Once they met a platoon of about thirty infantry marching towards them down the road; the Oberleutnant in charge looked them over, but did not challenge them.
Nobody showed much interest in them until they came to Lannilis.
On the outskirts of the town they were stopped.
There was a barricade of an elementary nature, of two old motorcars drawn hah0 across the road, leaving only a small passage between.
A sentry strolled out sleepily in the hot afternoon and raised his hand.
Howard pulled up the horse and stared at him, and mumbled something with head hanging and mouth open.
An Unteroffzier came from the guard-house and looked them over.
He asked in very bad French: 'Where are you taking this to?'
The old man raised his head a little and put his hand to one ear.
'Eh?'
The German repeated his question in a louder tone.
'Loudeac,' the old man said.
'Loudeac, outside 1'Aberv-rach.'
The Unteroffizier looked at Nicole.
'And madame goes too?'
Nicole smiled at him and put her hand on Pierre's shoulder.
'It is the little one's birthday,' she said.
'It is not easy to make fete these days.
But as my uncle has to make this trip this afternoon, and as the load is only half and therefore easy for the horse, we make this little journey for an outing for the children.'
The old man nodded.
'It is not easy to make a treat for children in times like these.'
The Unteroffizier smiled.
'Proceed,' he said lazily.
'Many happy returns of the day.'
Howard jerked up the old horse, and they passed up the street.
There was little traffic to be seen, partly because the French were keeping within doors, partly, no doubt, because of the heat of the afternoon.
A few houses were evidently requisitioned by the Germans; there were German soldiers lounging at the windows of bare rooms cleaning their equipment, in the manner of soldiers all over the world.
None of them paid any attention to the dung-cart.
By the great church in the middle of the town three tanks were drawn up in the shade of the plane-trees, with half a dozen lorries.
From one large house the Swastika flag floated lazily in the hot summer afternoon from a short staff stuck out of a first-floor window.
They paced steadily through the town, past shops and residences, past German officers and German soldiers.
At the outskirts of the town they took the right fork at the advertisement for Byrrh, and left the last houses behind them.
Presently, blue and hazy in a dip between two fields, the old man saw the sea.
His heart leaped when he saw it.
All his life he had taken pleasure from the sight and savour of the sea.
In its misty blueness between the green fields it seemed to him almost like a portion of his own country; England seemed very close.
By tomorrow evening, perhaps, he would have crossed that blue expanse; he would be safe in England with the children.
He trudged on stolidly, but his heart was burning with desire to be at home.
Presently Rose became tired; he stopped the cart and helped her into it.
Nicole got down and waiked beside him.
'There is the sea,' she said.
'You have not very far to go now, monsieur.'
'Not very far,' he said.
'You are glad?'
He glanced at her.
'I should be very, very glad, but for one thing,' he said.
'I would like you to be coming with us.
Would you not do that?'