Viisi vuotta elämästäni, 1894-1899

A young officer recalls a tranquil childhood in Alsace, followed by a steady climb through France’s military schools and ranks. By the early 1890s he had married Lucie, welcomed two children, and settled into a comfortable life where work blended with evenings of reading and family laughter. Success seemed assured, and his diary notes a period of genuine happiness and financial security.

In the autumn of 1894 that calm is shattered when he receives an unexpected summons to the Ministry of War, instructed to appear in civilian attire. The appointment brings him face‑to‑face with unfamiliar officials—a senior police chief, a stenographer, and a stern major—who introduce a secretive examination that pulls him away from the front lines and his home. As he steps into the stark, unfamiliar rooms of the high command, the narrative captures his growing sense of isolation and the uneasy anticipation of the trial that will dominate the next five years.