Howard said in French: 'It will be good when we have peace again.'
There was no point in giving up before he was found out.
The man smiled, a set, expressionless grin.
'How far have you come?'
'From Pithiviers.'
'Have you walked so far?'
'No.
We got a lift in a lorry which broke down a few miles back.'
The German said: 'So.
Then you will want supper.
In the Place there is a soup-kitchen which you may go to.'
Howard said: lje vous remercie.'
There was nothing else to say.
The man was pleased.
He ran his eye over them and frowned at the little boy in the smock.
He stepped up and took him by the head, not ungently, and examined the wound on his neck.
Then he looked at his own hands, and wiped them with disgust, having handled the child's head.
'So!' he said,
'By the church there is a field hospital.
Take him to the Sanitatsunterojfizier.'
He dismissed them curtly and turned back to his men.
One or two of the men looked at them woodenly, listlessly, but no one else spoke to them.
They went on to the centre of the town.
At the cross-roads in the middle, where the road to Orleans turned off to the left and the road to Paris to the right, there was a market square before a large grey church.
In the centre of the square the band was playing.
It was a band of German soldiers.
They stood there, about twenty of them, playing doggedly, methodically; doing their duty for their Fuhrer.
They wore soft field caps and silver tassels on their shoulders.
A Feldwebel conducted them.
He stood above them on a little rostrum, the baton held lovingly between his finger-tips.
He was a heavy, middle-aged man; as he waved he turned from side to side and smile benignly on his audience.
Behind the band a row of tanks and armoured cars were parked.
The audience was mostly French.
A few grey-faced, listless German soldiers stood around, seemingly tired to death; the remainder of the audience were men and women of the town.
They stood round gaping curiously at the intruder, peering at the tanks and furtively studying the uniforms and accoutrements of the men.
Ronnie said in English, 'There's the band, Mr Howard.
May we go and listen to it?'
The old man looked quickly round.
Nobody seemed to have heard him.
'Not now,' he said in French.
'We must go with this little boy to have his neck dressed.'
He led the children away from the crowd.
'Try not to speak English while we're here,' he said quietly to Ronnie.
'Why not, Mr Howard?'
Sheila said: 'May I speak English, Mr Howard?'
'No,' he said.
The Germans don't like to hear people speaking English.'
The little girl said in English:
'Would the Germans mind if Rose spoke English?'
A passing Frenchwoman looked at them curiously.