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[ Aetat. 57-58 ] J O Y C E 727of much importance for the moment. I suppose your idea of staying inParis is to show your zeal and readiness. Perhaps you are not there now.' 14The next day, having checked again at the hotel, he wired his son Georgein Paris: 'ABSOLUMENT ACUCUNE PROVISION FAITE ICI POUR RECEVOIR MAI-SON SANTE STOP DELMAS PENSE POUVOIR ARRANGER EVENTUELLEMENT D'lCIHUIT A QUINZE JOURS STOP EN ATTENDANT LUCIA ABANDONNEE SEULE IVRYMALGRE TOUS MES PREPARATIFS STOP ESSAYE TE METTRE EN RAPPORT AVECPERSONNEL MAISON NOUS SOMMES HOTEL SAINT CRISTOPHE ICI TELEPHONE21-30 COURAGE BONNE CHANCE BABBO.'* 15Delmas explained that his contract for the hotel had been broken, butthat he would soon findanother place. Without waiting Joyce telephoneda doctor who had a sanitorium between La Baule and Le Croisic to askif he would take Lucia; the doctor agreed, subject to Delmas's consent,but Delmas pointed out that the other sanitorium had no facilities tohandle patients of Lucia's violent type. On September 3 Joyce proposedto bring Lucia down himself by automobile with the aid of two attendants,but Delmas said that no automobiles could be had and that, sincewar had been declared that day, the roads would be blocked by militaryand other traffic. Joyce went home to write George and Helen the despairingwords, 'Lucia is therefore left alone in a Paris about to be bombeduntil Delmas arranges something.' 16He was relieved to hear that theyand Stephen at least were safe in their villa outside Paris, but wrote importunatelyagain on September 5: 'There are two points about Lucia.She must not be left alone in terror, believing she is abandoned by everybodyin case of a bombardment in Paris. Somebody must either speak toher on the phone or visit her and if she is in danger she should beremoved.' 17During these shattering days, when La Baule was fillingup, as duringthe firstWorld War, with refugees, Joyce renewed his friendship withDr. Daniel O'Brien, who was stopping there for a time too. O'Brien,having been trained in psychiatry, gave Joyce what help he could withLucia, but mostly he companioned him in his misery. One night theywent together to a large restaurant with dancing at La Baule. It was closeto where the French and British soldiers were encamped, and two orthree hundred of them having crowded into the place, they began to singthe 'Marseillaise.' Joyce joined in the singing, and gradually his voicecaught the soldiers' attention. They turned and stared at him, and thena group hoisted him onto a table so he might sing it all over again. AsO'Brien recalled later, 'You never saw such an exhibition of one mandominating and thrilling a whole audience. He stood there and sang the"Marseillaise" and they sang it again afterwards with him and if a whole* 'Absolutely no provision made here for receiving maison de sante. Delmas thinks hecan arrange matters within one to two weeks. Meanwhile Lucia is abandoned alone atIvry in spite of all my arrangements. Try to contact the staff there. We are at Hotel SaintChristophe here telephone number n-30. Courage. Good luck. Babbo.'