So he
becomes their sentinel. Under such conditions, _la Patrie_ is no longer
merely the historic soil of the French people, the sacred ground every
parcel of which is responsible for all the rest, but also the beloved
home of infancy, the home of parents, and, for this collegian of
yesterday, the scene of charming walks and delightful vacations. He has
but just now left the paternal mansion; and, not yet accustomed to the
separation, he visits it by the roads of the air, the only ones which he
is now free to travel. He does not take advantage of his proximity to
Compiegne to go ring the familiar door-bell, because he is a soldier and
respects orders; but, on returning from his rounds, he does not hesitate
to turn aside a bit in order to pass over his home, indulging up there
in the sky in all sorts of acrobatic caprioles to attract attention and
prolong the interview. What lover was ever more ingenious and madder in
his rendezvous?
Throughout all his correspondence he recalls his air visits. "You must
have seen my head, for I never took my eyes off the house...." Or, after
an aerial somersault that filled all those down below with terror: "I am
wretched to know that my veering the other day frightened _maman_ so
much, but I did it so as to see the house without having to lean over
the side of the machine, which is unpleasant on account of the wind.
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