Dido was a lively and intelligent young person, but I discovered in the course of our chance conversation that she was under the impression that the Russians as well as the Prussians were outside Paris, and that both were waging war for the King of Spain.

Sedan, I also learnt, was in the neighbourhood of Berlin.
The _Temps_ gives the following details of our provisions--Beef will fail in a week, horse will then last a fortnight; salt meat a further week; vegetables, dried fruits, flour, &c., about three weeks more.

In this calculation I think that the stock of flour is understated, and that if we are contented to live on bread and wine we shall not be starved out until the middle of January.

The ration of fresh meat is now reduced in almost all the arrondissements to thirty grammes a head.
There is no difficulty, however, in obtaining for money any quantity of it in the restaurants.

In the bouillons only one portion is served to each customer.