But the day would be bright; the air was pure, the sky cloudless. Anne passed the time wandering the streets of town, waiting for the girls to get out of school so they could gossip. Of course, to get to the school you had to pass the barracks and the Hôtel de Normandie, where the English officers lodged. Anne put down her music book and gazed at the tomatoes, the cabbages and pears. Across the street was a row of cottages and five pairs of black socks drying on a line. “It appears,” said Anne, listening to the town, “that the first English convoys will arrive tomorrow. There’s already a small
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