| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, Valence, to her relatives, regarding a quiet Sunday; not going to church as the service is poor and late, and in any case the church might be closed because of the influenza; it has decreased a little but is still rife in the town; 'The garrison here was occupied all last week in digging graves and making coffins of some special material, wood being too scarce to supply the demand'; Mme. Soureillat may be called for to nurse her sister-in-law's family which is infected, in which case Amelia will be left in charge; Bottet is recovering nicely; unfortunately his crises are always in the middle of the night; lights must still be out at 9p.m. and she has to switch the meter off at 10 (it is in Mlle. Combe's old room), but often the nun has to waken her to switch it on again; it might save electricity but the fact that the meter is switched off means that patients do not trouble to switch lights off themselves, and the stairs are not safe; all these objections, presented to Mme. Soureillat, may result in a change of procedure; Mlle. Combe left her room in an untidy state, which Amelia had to clear up; she had to move downstairs as the garret was required for four infirmiers; the room is all right but noisier and smaller than the garret; Mme. Soureillat also needs access to it to change into and out of her uniform and it is the only place to store extra food; Amelia is finding it difficult now to fit in a rest during the day; she is to follow up the possibility of a piano for the annexe, which Mme. Soureillat was supposed to do but the French can never be relied upon for any administrative task; the piano has arrived, and when M. Fayet arrived to do roll call that evening he found everyone there, listening to the music, and was very impressed; she will play now in the evenings from Mme. Soureillat's wide collection in order to keep the men from the 'corrruption so rife in Valence'; the officers are jealous but if they want music they can come down for it; she has written to Dr. Michaud to tell him what she is doing and he has replied with pleasure; the 103 is full of Spanish influenza cases and half the nurses are ill. [Letter breaks off without signature] |