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[Page 104]
89
there is nothing doing & though I am sure I can walk without detriment I remain within. At night Marie Le Breton & her husband come to dinner.
They have seen Paris. It is absolutely deserted & the papers have pictures showing the places ordinarily thronged with people without a single person or vehicles visible. – A scene of desolation & the photos are taken at 2 pm & onwards & the photo are those that are taken in an ordinary stroll.
So I have not missed much by staying in.
16-8-19
Life at Rue Ortalon is very pleasant I pass all day in pyjamas & study all the time Meals are provided without waste of time by hands that are only ask the right to do something Life has its charm.
All tenements [indecipherable] a little court. Everyone is curious – & every one is talkative No one cares who overhears or oversees them. There is no such element as self consciousness, & often their language is not classical.
One family below take their meals where all can see & hear them accompanied by 4 cats 2 rabbits 2 dogs & other animals all running loose. To back is a collection of slums patched up by rags & temporary makeshifts & filled with a population whose chief characteristics are age & filth, & into whose daily habits you can inspect. There are some children aged about 10 though how they have survived so long. Goodness knows.
To left is Rue [indecipherable], a street which contracts to 7 ft wide for almost ½ its length & has railed balconies